To Lay to Rest Our Ghosts by Caitlin Hamilton Summie
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Source: the author Paperback, 216 pgs. I am an Amazon Affiliate
To Lay to Rest Our Ghosts by Caitlin Hamilton Summie is a collection of short stories pregnant with emotion as characters deal with grief in a variety of ways. From the WWII homefront to New York, Summie's characters have experienced deep loss, whether it is the loss of a child or the loss of a father to war. Grief comes in many forms, but its effects can be devastating, leaving you with a sense of hopelessness and emptiness.
"My father seemed vague and shadowy to me already. I didn't think I could lose him any more than I had, but I saw those tags, and touched them, and they were hard and smooth and warm from Jimmy's constant agitation of them, and I knew this: that I could lose my father completely..." (pg. 14, "Tags")
Summie has a deep sense of how grief can turn into inaction, reaction, and withdrawal. She writes from a variety of perspectives, a young boy waiting for his father to return from war, a brother who has removed himself from his family, sisters who have grown apart after the death of a grandfather, and so many more. These perspectives call to mind the universality of grief and how it impacts us all. Lest you believe this collection of short stories is too depressing, it is not.
Summie offers characters a glimmer of hope, a moment of clarity, and a way through the grief. We all struggle with loss, but we all must find a way to move on. Through this collection, we find the solutions are not always the same, but the journey through grief is often possible with a little will and strength -- either from within or through the help of others.
"February rolled in with a storm. The snow came, and it hung in the air like a bad mood." (pg. 99, "Patchwork")
"We leaned against one another, against the pressure of what was coming as slowly and stealthily as that snow, wild in the wind outside yet silent." (pg. 120, "Geographies of the Heart") Summie's imagery is phenomenal; readers will be swept into the snowy landscapes, heavy with drifts. Like the grief these characters experience, the snow weighs them down. It's devastatingly beautiful and poetic. To Lay to Rest Our Ghosts by Caitlin Hamilton Summie is gorgeous in every word. These stories remind us, "'The grief never leaves. You just have to learn how to carry it.'" (pg. 199, "Taking Root")
RATING: Cinquain
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About the Author:
Caitlin Hamilton Summie earned an MFA with Distinction from Colorado State University, and her short stories have been published in Beloit Fiction Journal, Wisconsin Review, Puerto del Sol, Mud Season Review, and Long Story, Short. Her first book, a short story collection called TO LAY TO REST OUR GHOSTS, was published in August by Fomite. She spent many years in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Colorado before settling with her family in Knoxville, Tennessee. She co-owns the book marketing firm, Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity, founded in 2003. Discussion questions.
2017 New Authors Reading Challenge