Book Review: Even Now

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Even Now     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Susan S. Kelly
Class/Genre:   Fiction
Warner, Jul 2001, $22.95, 275 pp.

When he accepted the teaching position at a private school, former businessman Hal Marsh and his wife Hannah sell their Durham home. They relocate with their two children to Rural Ridge, North Carolina so he can work in nearby Asheville. At a neighborhood gathering, Hannah meets her childhood friend and heroine Daintry O’Connor, a banker married to an Episcopalian priest. Years ago, Daintry and Hannah had a falling out that destroyed their forever friendship. Daintry cops a rude cold attitude while Hannah at first is a bit more enthusiastic about seeing her old buddy.

Still, in spite of Daintry’s nasty aloofness, the move seems perfect for the seventeen years married couple and their son and daughter. Everything changes when Hannah meets Daintry’s husband, Peter Whicker. Hannah and Peter are attracted to one another and plan on having an affair. However, Hannah has doubts, not because of the moral issue of spousal fidelity, but because of the memory of what she once had with Daintry.

EVEN NOW is an intriguing look at the memories of a childhood friendship juxtaposed against adult realities. The story line moves with purpose slowly forward allowing the audience the opportunity to see into the souls of the key characters with an emphasis on the confused Hannah. Readers who enjoy a pleasant look at two women sharing a past, a present, and a questionable future will find Susan S. Kelly’s tale a warm reading experience.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner