Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–When We Return

When We Return: A Novel
Multicultural Fiction
River Grove Books (May 17, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 297 pages
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09ZBN14ML

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Eliana Tobias and her new book  When We Return.

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – 

When We Return: A Novel
by Eliana Tobias

When We Return is on a Great Escapes Tour, which I recommend for any crime and mystery author-bloggers. See the Full Review upcoming in July
~Jemima Pett

Who should be held responsible for public wrongs?

By 2008, it finally seems that the Peruvian government is ready to make amends to its citizens following the violent guerilla movement of the last three decades.

Otilia and Salvador, a mother and son torn apart during the conflict and separated for twenty years, are eager for the government to acknowledge he their pain and suffering, but they hit a roadblock when the government denies responsibility in their legal case.

Things begin to look up when Otilia meets Jerry, a kind man and the son of Jewish parents who escaped the Holocaust. Grappling with his own upbringing and the psychological struggles his parents endured, Jerry is just the person to empathize with Otilia’s situation. Together, Otilia, Jerry, and Salvador must support one another through the turbulent journey that is healing from historical trauma, and through it, they must find the courage to rebuild their lives and open themselves up to love and companionship.

Artfully weaving together different timelines and countries, Tobias examines the nuanced topic of grief a community endures after a collective tragedy. In this exploration of the culture of remembrance following displacement and loss, we discover what happens when our past calls us back to what we must do to achieve justice and reconciliation when we return.

 

“Eliana Tobias has managed in this moving and intelligent novel to show us two characters who, coming from very different worlds, at the end are telling the same story. The story of disarray, discrimination, and injustice. Showing us as well that hate is everywhere and the only antidote we have is memory and love.”
—Carla Guelfenbein, Alfaguara-award winner and internationally recognized author of eight novels including In the Distance With You

 

Eliana Tobias was born in Santiago, Chile, to immigrant parents who had escaped the Holocaust. She graduated from the University of Chile and later completed graduate degrees in the US and Canada. After working in the field of education in various capacities, including teaching at the National University in Trujillo, Peru, she discovered her love of writing.

Eliana’s rich experience of political turmoil—listening to stories of the Holocaust when Jewish communities in Europe had been shattered, losing family in Chile under military dictatorship, and living in Peru during a time of intense civil conflict—fueled her passion to write about the ways people caught in devastation find to rebuild their lives. Eliana’s first novel, In the Belly of the Horse, received an award from the International Latino Book Awards in 2018 and was also nominated for the Latino Book Into Movies Awards. Eliana splits her time between California and British Columbia.

Author Website – https://elianatobias.com/

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, please click on the link below:

 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/028877921381/?widget_template=56d5f80dbc544fb30fda66f0

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

June 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 22 – Jemima Pett, Author – AUTHOR INTERVIEW – REVIEW IN JULY

June 23 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT  

June 24 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

June 25 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 25 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

June 26 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 26 – FUONLYKNEW  SPOTLIGHT

June 27 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

June 28 – Storied Conversation – SPOTLIGHT

June 29 – The Mystery of Writing – SPOTLIGHT

June 30 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

July 1 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Review of Murder By Fireworks

 

Murder By Fireworks
A Kay Driscoll Mystery, Book #3
Susan Bernhardt
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Wedding bells are in the air, and so is murder.

Kay Driscoll’s son’s wedding reception for two hundred guests is in her backyard. As if that wasn’t enough, a precocious and troubled twelve-year-old is foisted on her two days before the wedding. When the happy day arrives, one of the guests disrupts the event and is asked to leave: a womanizing member of Kay’s book club.

A few days later, after a Fourth of July fireworks show, he is found dead on the beach. Kay and her ever-present friends, Elizabeth and Deirdre, investigate the death, which at first is declared a suicide. They believe this is a cover-up and go about to prove their theory, an arduous task because the potential suspects are many, and few (if any) will regret the victim’s death. (Goodreads)

Review:

Kay Driscoll is one determined woman, who is willing to do anything for her family. She is organized and a planner and is not afraid of hard work. She shows us this by being willing to plan and host her son’s wedding. That is a big undertaking but she does not let that affect her. Even when she finds out that she is going to have an unexpected house guest for an undetermined amount of time she goes with the flow without complaining (most of the time). When someone she knows if found murdered, she just adds finding his killer to her To-Do list. Not much phases Kay.

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. I really enjoyed getting to spend with Kay, Deirdre and Elizabeth. They are quite a threesome. They all have very distinct personalities and all bring something different to their friendship. Kay’s husband, Phil, is still rather clueless but he loves Kay, so he is not all bad. I enjoyed getting to meet Janey, Phil’s cousin’s daughter. She is quite a character, she has some good qualities and some not so good qualities, and this made her seem all the more realistic to me. Another thing that made the book seem more life-like is that Kay is older, with grown children. So many of the cozies I read have younger main characters that do not have a family. I thought the fact that Kay has a family made Kay more relatable to me, and that is definitely a plus in my book.

One of the many things I like about this book (and series) is the fact that when I’m reading, I feel like I am getting an insight into the author’s life. You know that she is writing from personal experiences and memories. I feel like I am getting a little look into her life and the things that she enjoys and traditions she has with her own family. This, to me, makes the book so much more realistic and personable.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through most of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all the action taking place. The mystery is well plotted and carried on throughout the entire book. There are enough twists and turns to keep Kay and the reader guessing the whole time. Throw in some red herrings and enough clues to sift through and you have a top notch mystery to try to solve. I did not figure out the culprit until it was revealed at the end.

I would recommend this book (and series) to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. You cannot go wrong reading any of this author’s books, they are all entertaining, creative and intriguing. If you have not read this book (or any of the books written by this author) what are you waiting for?