Eldonna Edwards's fiction debut is a sixties-set, small-town, coming-of-age novel in the
vein of Susan Crandall's Whistling Past the Graveyard, Lesley Kagen's Whistling in the
Dark and Beth Hoffmann's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. A bit like Fannie Flagg with a
touch of magic; the sense of place and era are beautifully conjured but never coy.
Eldonna's upbringing as the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher in a large
Midwestern family definitely informs the narrative of This I Know, but the more
metaphysical aspects were influenced by her two decades as a bodyworker.
The underlying message of This I Know is that in seeking knowledge we must finally
come to embrace the unknowable. Or put simply, that faith is merely the embodiment
of wonder.
Author attends speaking events around the country. Her warm, engaging personality
and uplifting style consistently win over the hearts and minds of participants.
Eldonna was the subject of the award-winning documentary Perfect Strangers, which
followed her choice to donate a kidney to an anonymous person in need, and aired on
PBS.
Description
Set in a small Midwest town in the late 1960s and helmed by an unforgettable young protagonist—compassionate, uncannily wise Grace—This I Know is a luminous comingof-age story from an astonishing new voice. Eleven-year-old Grace Carter has a talent for hiding things. She’s had plenty of practice, burying thoughts and feelings that might anger her strict Evangelical pastor father, and concealing the deep intuition she carries inside. The Knowing, as Grace calls it, offers glimpses of people’s pasts and futures. It enables her to see into the depth of her mother’s sadness, and even allows Grace to talk to Isaac, her twin brother who died at birth. To her wise, loving Aunt Pearl, the Knowing is a family gift; to her daddy, it’s close to witchcraft. Grace can’t see into someone’s thoughts without their permission. But it doesn’t take her special talent to know that her small community is harboring its share of secrets. A young girl has gone missing. Within Grace’s own family too, the cracks are widening, as her sisters Hope, Joy, and Chastity enjoy the normal life that eludes Grace. It’s Grace’s kinship with other outsiders that keeps her afloat—Lyle, a gentle, homeless man, and Lola, a free-spirited new girl at school. But when her mother lapses into deep depression after bringing home a new baby, Grace will face a life-changing choice —ignore her gift and become the obedient daughter her father demands, or find the courage to make herself heard, even if it means standing apart . . .
Dimensions (Overall): 8.3 Inches (H) x 5.8 Inch (W) x 1.2 Inch (D)
Weight: .85 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 310
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Sub-Genre: Historical
Publisher: Kensington Pub Corp
Format: Hardcover
Author: Eldonna Edwards
Language: English
Street Date: April 24, 2018
TCIN: 53343495
Item Number (DPCI): 059-01-0090
Origin: Made in the USA
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 6 inches length x 1 inches width x 9 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1 pounds
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