The Light in the Hallway by Amanda Prowse

I chose to read this beautifully written novel a month after I lost my mom to dementia. That's perhaps not the best timing on my part because the book opens with Nick losing his wife to cancer following a long battle with the disease. Prowse deftly maneuvers the emotions of watching someone close to you die: the pain, the grief, the rage and the guilt are written with such expertise as to ensure you'll need a box of tissues near you as you read.

When Kerry dies, Nick is left alone to see their son off to college, a son who refuses at first to acknowledge his mother's death. Soon, though, Olly experiences the entire range of emotions and Nick finds himself comforting a boy who is at odds with himself and his feelings.

The remainder of the book delves into moving on and beginning to find pleasure and happiness again. Nick finds a new friend and has to deal with his sister-in-law's and son's feelings about that. Prowse expertly writes Nick's character as a man who is both sympathetic but firm. I love how he handled all of the issues that were thrown at him.

Interspersed in the modern-day story are tales of Nick, Eric and Alex during the summer of 1992 when the three friends truly became best buds. I loved those stories so much that I found myself eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Prowse tidies things up nicely at the end for us. I'm not always a fan of that, but given the heartwrenching and emotionally draining beginning of the Light in the Hallway, I was happy to see where she went with the final chapter of the book.

Four well-deserved stars to this great read.

Many thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Read this review on Goodreads.

Little House on the Wasteland By Laura Ingalls-Wei

It's not often that I refer to a post-apocalyptic book as a "joy" to read because, well, the subject matter usually isn't that joyful, but it's the perfect descriptor here. Little House on the Wasteland is the story of Laura and her family and their desire to find some semblance of peace at a time when it's every man for himself.

We aren't privy to the year this story takes place or what caused the Great Bust that pulled the U.S. apart financially and physically, but we do know one thing: a plague (or "ague" as our characters refer to it) has wreaked havoc on the world and the things we take for granted in 2020 are no longer available. There is no electricity. No running water. No cars, trucks, buses, manufacturing, restaurants, newspapers. Even buildings and roads have gone by the wayside. It is what it is.

But you have little Laura, her two sisters and ma and pa eking out an existence in what was once Wisconsin. Until they can't any longer. And that's when they take to the (former) road in search of a new life in the wastelands, what once was the midwest.

This is the story of that journey and the trials and tribulations the family faces on that long trip. They must take shelter in places you and I wouldn't dream of. They must stand up to villains and those exhibiting signs of the illness. They must make friends with those they might not otherwise interact with and trust in people who might otherwise be untrustworthy.

When I call this story a joy, I mean that while the subject matter is tough and heavy and mostly not pretty, the writing is simply superb. The story elements are a delight and the character development deep and most worthy of something with the "Laura Ingalls" name attached. Our storyteller's cleverness with spelling and pronunciation made me laugh out loud at times, and I adored the song choices that dotted the pages of this read. I'd love to see a sequel.

Many thanks to Reedsy/Discovery for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Little House on the Wasteland is available here. See this review on Goodreads.