2021 15th Annual Indie Excellence Juror's Choice Award Winner
“The Best Part of Us by Sally Cole-Misch is a lush debut novel which explores nature, family, and land with nuance and patience.” —Affinity Magazine
Beth cherished her childhood summers on a pristine northern Canadian lake, where she reveled in the sweet smell of dew on early morning hikes, the loons’ evening trills across the lake’s many bays, every brush stroke of her brother’s paintings celebrating their cherished place, and their grandfather’s laughter as he welcomed neighbors to their annual Welsh harvest celebration. Theirs was an unshakeable bond with nature, family, and friends, renewed every summer on their island of granite and pines.
But that bond was threatened and then torn apart, first as rights to their island were questioned and then by nature itself, and the family was forced to leave. Fourteen years later, Beth has created a new life in urban Chicago. There, she’s erected a solid barrier between the past and present, no matter how much it costs—until her grandfather asks her to return to the island to determine its fate. Will she choose to preserve who she has become, or risk everything to discover if what was lost still remains?
The Best Part of Us will immerse readers in a breathtaking natural world, a fresh perspective on loyalty, and an exquisite ode to the essential roles that family, nature, and place hold in all of our lives.
This is not your normal happy go lucky chick lit novel that you want to read at the beach. This novel is the you want to shed some tears, dream about far away cabins in the woods, and really think about the depth of you family dynamics. The emotional toil i felt rolling off the pages of this book hit me harder then i thought it would. It makes it a fantastic book i loved it, it really hit home on so many levels that i did cry quite a few tears. The ending leaves you in one of those places where you want to really hug those you call dear. The best part of us is at the heart of it about an island, different cultures and being true to what you want in life. It a novel that really wraps you in its pages. It a fantastic read .
Reading updates
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Started reading
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2 September, 2020:
Finished reading
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2 September, 2020:
Reviewed