Book Review: Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan by Deborah Reed

Book: 153

Rating: 3.5/5

An earthquake hits along the coast of Oregon and sets a series of events in motion that force Violet Swan, at 93 years old, to come to terms with her past that her family knows nothing about...

We get to know her son Francisco and his wife Penny and their relationships with Violet (as well as their tumultuous relationship with each other). When their son Daniel and a surprise guest come into the picture, Francisco and Penny are forced to re-examine how they interact with each other for their family's sake. Then, first in flashbacks and in the latter half of the novel in documentary style interviews, Violet's story is shared: this fourteen year old girl left rural Georgia to move across the country with no money, eventually finding the love of her life and a love for art, becoming a famous abstract painter.

Overall, the writing was really well done and I loved the multi-generational family theme and the weaving in of art and Violet's artistry. But for me it just didn't have that spark that gets me to fall in love fast and hard with a family centred literary fiction book. I really liked that we learned a lot about Violet through her family, but it felt like the characters were kept at an arm's length from the reader. I preferred the story-telling of this book vs. the development of the characters.

Thank you to Mindbuck Media and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.