Cenotaphs Blog Tour

Good morning! We’re back with R&R Blog Tours with the last in this string of promos/reviews I’ve done, today featuring Cenotaphs by Rich Marcello. Summary below, followed by thoughts:

AFTER A CHANCE MEETING, AN OLD MAN AND A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN
CHART AN UNCONVENTIONAL PATH FORWARD.
When Ben Sanna, a contemplative retiree with a penchant for helping people, and Samantha
Beckett, a secretive New York City hedge fund manager, meet by chance in a small Vermont
town, they enter into a tenuous relationship. Over several weeks, Samantha and Ben open
their pasts inch by inch, sift through their futures consciously, and come to terms with the
strength and depth of their bond. A meditation on redemption told in alternating chapters of musings and scenes, Cenotaphs is about platonic love; the ways we close ourselves off in
reaction to pain and what happens when we open ourselves up again; and the deep, painful
legacy of loss.

This was an interesting departure from my usual choices; it’s almost a cross between traditional literary fiction and a contemporary philosophical-esque work. It shows how the generation gap can be bridged; how people who are aging now might appreciate the present more than young adults realize — while still firmly holding to everything they love of their past; and what can be gained from sharing perspectives brought about by not just age but a variety of life experiences. As a native New Englander myself, I absolutely appreciated the geographic and cultural references, and could definitely imagine this little town as resembling one of several from my own youth. A lot of the feelings explored in this text are more towards the bittersweet if not sad side, and this may not be a read for everyone, but it was indeed deep and interesting.

For anyone who would like to enter the giveaway for an Amazon e-gift card, here’s the link!:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0e7c6a8f291/?

Happy reading, everyone!