TLC Book Tour & Review: Precious by Sandra Novack

Precious is a wonderful debut novel by Sandra Novack. It is the story of a family, a neighborhood, an era set in 1978 rural Pennsylvania. Ms. Novack has woven a story that pulled me in and held my interest throughout. Her lyrical prose creates an emotion and depth to the setting and characters that as a reader, felt amazingly real. The characters are so strongly drawn that you feel that you are peering into a neighborhood and truly care about these characters although at times, you don't approve of their decisions or choices.

This is the story of the Kisch family a family of four, typical of the 70's and their relationships with each other and their neighborhood and community. Natalia, the mother, is unable to find herself in the midst of her past and roles as a wife and mother and makes a choice that is devastating to her family. Her husband Frank, is left to pick up the pieces and deal with his own angst as a father and husband. He does his best but to me typifies that 70's dad who is a bit clueless as to how to deal with women, including his own wife and two daughters.

Eva, is the oldest daughter at seventeen, and is a bit lost trying to find her identity and her place in the world. She is filled with many emotions and seems to be trying to find love and acceptance. Sissy, her younger sister, is nine years old and has to deal with the changes in her family as well as the disappearance of a neighbor girl Vickie. She must deal with her own emotions and fears related to this as well as guilt over bad feelings between the girls before Vickie's disappearance.

She was a bit lost in her own dreamworld and trying to find her way without much guidance. The neighborhood itself was a character with the nosy neighbors, barking dogs, picnics and looking out for each other during some trying times.

The ending was not expected and it is not one that ties everything up neatly in a bow which is perfectly fitting for this novel. It gives you pause to think about family, love, loss, loyalty and the importance of protecting and holding on to those we love. I highly recommend reading this book, it's strength is that it's a character driven novel with a strong story line and beautifully written. Yes, there is the missing child storyline that is not the major theme of the book but it is still there as a strong component of the story. There are sexual scenes and promiscuous behavior as well but again, it is not the major theme of the book. This would be a great book to discuss with a book club to break down the characters, their dynamics and family relationships and choices.

Thank you to Lisa from TLC Book Tours, who invited me to host one of the tour stops for this wonderful debut novel, Precious. I was honored to be part of the tour.

You can read an excerpt from Precious, here. Visit Sandra Novack's website, here.

Make sure to check out the rest of the TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS for Precious:

Monday, May 11th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Wednesday, May 13th: Bookworm with a View
Thursday, May 14th: Pop Culture Junkie
Monday, May 18th: Literate Housewife
Friday, May 22nd: Booking Mama
Tuesday, May 26th: Book Addiction
Friday, May 29th: Diary of an Eccentric