Okay, I have to say it . . . Daisy Chain is one of those books that makes me want to give up writing. Do you know what I mean? Mary DeMuth‘s writing is so beautiful, so remarkable, and so heart-wrenching that it makes my writing look like a “unicorns and rainbows” story. Keep in mind that I’m currently writing about grief, earthquakes, fires and crises of faith. Here is the back cover information:
The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control—Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter’s demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis. In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He’s convinced it’s his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed’s pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he’s been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom. Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God’s surprising redemption.
This book is not like the typical light-hearted historical romances that so frequently grace my nightstand. I feel like this book recommendation should come with a warning label: Daisy Chain is chock-full of heartache, so be prepared. But it is often through our brokenness that we find our redemption, and that is very true in this stunning novel.
If you would like to learn more about Daisy Chain, click here to watch the book trailer. It’s beautiful and haunting in its own right!
Thank you,
andrea