Book Review: The Lace Reader

I finally finished a book last night! I have (sadly) been working on this one since August. I will allow myself a few excuses on why it took me so long to finish it: 1. Beginning of the school year craziness, 2. The ups and downs of my Mom's surgery/illness, and 3. It was just a dad gum slow book.

Do you ever wonder why people pick up the books that they do? I will see a person in an airport reading a book and wonder if someone gave it to them, did the book's cover stand out to them, was it highly recommended? I wonder about things like that. Anyway, the story of this book began back in May when I was waiting for Hannah and Leah during their gymnastics class. One of the other moms in the waiting room told me about her book club, and this title came up as one that people in her club either loved or hated. A few months later, I was at Barnes & Noble when I saw this in the bargain book section for $5.99. So I picked it up.

Now I know why it was in the bargain section. The story is very disjointed. There are flashbacks, visions, sudden perspective shifts, and strange dreams. Towner Whitney, the book's main character, comes from a family of women who can "read lace", or see the future in the lace's intricate pattern. This skill comes in handy when two women go missing in her hometown of Salem. Towner, along with one of Salem's police officers (which ends up as her love interest) are drawn into a spiral of family secrets, strange cults, and eventually the truth. Not just the truth about the missing women, but also the truth about the death of Towner's twin sister many years ago.

I did enjoy the wonderful descriptions of the historic city of Salem. It is an area of the country I have never been to and would love to visit one day. And some parts of the book were quite suspenseful. But as a whole, I was either bored or confused as I read this novel. I am glad I stuck it out and finished it, but it won't be at the top of my recommended reading list anytime soon.

Now, on to the next one. I have a few more "real books" to plow through before I plan to start using my Nook!