book review: this is where it ends

title: This Is Where It Ends
author: Cindy K Sproles
date: 2023
publisher: Revell

This isn't the type of book I normally read.

Minerva Jenkins has led a lonely existence atop her beautiful mountain since her husband, Stately, died, some 30 years ago. Were it not for the secret she’d promised to keep for him, she might not have spent all this time fending for herself. In fact, she has never even known what the secret was.

“This Is Where It Ends” by Cindy Sproles is a slow, contemplative, redemptive, and far-reaching novel that is best savoured and explored, chapter by chapter. It is told from Minerva's perspective. The author’s descriptions of the setting are wonderful. I could picture the mountain, the river, the sunset, the vegetation (including the offending kudzu, and the fragrance of wisteria and honeysuckle. It is repetitive, but in a way that makes the characters more real because, after all, life’s struggles can be repetitive, aren't they?

“This Is Where It Ends” is a story of contradictions and questions, inviting us to freshly ponder our own lives. It's the type of novel that is vague but meaningful, memorable yet never quite something you fully grasp. It's well worth reading.

Some great quotes from the book:

•  “A secret ain't nothing but a dishonest seed layin in wait... There ain’t no such thing as a good secret.”
• “Learn to look beyond what is temporal to what is eternal.”
• “...the quickest way to know a body was lyin was to watch how fast they got mad.”
• “Truth is, Del, I’m gold.”
• “Blood doesn’t make a relationship. Kindness, caring, love makes a family. You don’t have to be blood to be the perfect fit.”

Reading this book I felt like I was on a journey with Minerva of love, betrayal, and finally forgiveness.

“This Is Where It Ends" has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.