The Hope of Times to Come

by Francois Houle

Westway Private is not a place that Raymond Dubois cares to remember. The rundown neighbourhood was the size of a postage stamp with too many small rental homes crammed together, the lawns were mostly dirt, everyone heard everyone’s business, and his sister almost died there.

The only good thing about Westway Private was Dorothy Nightingale. But she moved away when he was thirteen and he hasn’t seen her since.

Now retired, Raymond just wants to live his remaining years in peace. But when a young couple move in next door, he quickly notices that something isn’t quite right with the husband. The guy drives a BMW, wears expensive suits, but there’s something behind the façade that awakens a past Raymond tried hard to forget.

Dorothy Nightingale just signed her divorce papers, she’s selling the family home, and her kids opted to live with Dad. All her life, Dorothy made sure she was the perfect mom; she wasn’t going to make the same mistakes her mother made.

Except that she did.

Dorothy needs to fix things with her kids before it’s too late . . . but then tragedy strikes and she finds that her future lies in the pain of her past.

The Hope of Times to Come digs into the scars that shaped our childhood to find the strength we never realized we had, and unleashes the truth we must face to set us free.

Genres: Fiction

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 12, 2022

About the author

"It Happened to Us" is my first published novel. However, I've been writing since I was a teenager, starting with song lyrics - I have hundreds of songs (I did try to learn to play the guitar when I was 19 but didn't stick with it so those songs never saw the light of day).

I wrote my first novel from 1985-1987, a sci-fi story influenced by DUNE.

The next 3 novels were horror (I was into Stephen King at the time) and 2-3 other partial novels were started and abandoned.

From 1998 - 2005 I wrote a few short stories but found my time very limited.

Then from 2005 - 2011 I wrote 3 novels, the last of the 3 being "It Happened to Us." It's my favourite so far, probably because it came to me fairly easily.

I do plan to edit the other 2 novels and publish them once I feel they are ready.

If you like books by Lisa Genova, Jodi Picoult, Nicholas Sparks, Richard Russo, and Richard Paul Evans then you should enjoy my novel.

Reviews

[Sacha Fortuné · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacha's Book Reviews Blog

This was my forty-sixth book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. This review also appears on Reedsy.

If you're interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid "tips" to review books!) check it out here.

The Premise
Grieving the loss of his disabled sister, Raymond's thoughts wander back to one of the first (and few) persons who really knew and loved her -- his first love, Dorothy. Now a retired cop, he passes his time befriending his new neighbour, a young mother of twin babies, who does not seem to have much support from their father: the shifty, suspicious "BMW man" who travels frequently and seems to have a short temper.

Raymond is no stranger to violence -- nor was Dorothy. They had formed a bond as adolescents as each suffered through abuse in their families. Raymond decides to reach out to his old friend and first love. Though decades have passed, they still have a lot in common when they reconnect. Now divorced, Dorothy has a strained relationship with her teenage children who chose to live with their father. In the face of tragedy, can their rekindled bond heal them both?

The Pros & Cons
This was a heartfelt family drama about grief, loss, forgiveness, and finding the strength to survive and thrive.

It is a story of second chance romance, but so much more — there are mystery/thriller elements, as well as heart-wrenching abuse in the childhood trauma of each of the two main characters. Both characters are fully developed, and we get to see each of their lives’ journeys after they separated as children: the slow crumble of Dorothy’s marriage as the wayward children eventually built a wedge between her and her husband, and Raymond’s former relationship that ended in tragedy, as well as his allegiance to his disabled sister until her death.

I loved how they took their time to find each other again, each carrying their own baggage, and I appreciated the friendships they each had — particularly Raymond, who began helping his neighbour Joanne as he felt inexplicably drawn into her fraught relationship with her partner. All the relationships were beautifully described and you can feel the emotion in each separate story, as well as the elation when Raymond and Dorothy do finally reconnect and find that there are still deep feelings there — and maybe there is still even a spark.

Though I enjoyed the novel, this is a very slow-burn of a story — it’s worth it to get all the way there, but it is not for readers without patience! Also, it did take me some time to get used to the storytelling style that mixes Raymond in first person and then Dorothy in third person (it may have worked better for me with both first person, or both third person) but this may be my own pet peeve! Nevertheless the writing was excellent, and I’m glad I kept on reading to finally understand all the connections between the characters. However, there are two main threads that weave Raymond’s and Dorothy’s stories together, and I wished that one of the main points in the last chapter was revealed in the “present” timeline rather than referred to in the past tense — this was a disappointment as I’d been waiting to see it happen!

Conclusion
Nevertheless, overall this was an enjoyable story that will lift your spirits, and I would recommend for readers who appreciate authors similar to Nicholas Sparks. It takes you on an emotional journey as you get to know these characters, all of whom feel very real — their pain, their anguish, their failures in life, and yet their indomitable spirit to build a family with each other out of the ashes of dysfunction. The lasting message here is that it is never too late to find happiness — and that happiness lies in the people you love, above all else. I look forward to more by this author.


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This review also appears on my blog. Visit to read more of my reviews: Sacha's Book Reviews Blog

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[Glenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was intriguing. Many times the relationships we have as children or teens we hurt the most over whether it is with an adult who causes the hurt, a death of a family member, a tragedy, or a teen romance that does not pan out through no fault of either person. Those emotions stay with us for life one way or another, make us worse or better people depending on how we deal with them. Raymond and Dorthy were dealt crappy hands by life as kids. They were united for a brief time over those life circumstances then live happened again and they lost touch. But both of them never forgot that first unconfessed love for the other. Both also end up dealing with more loss in their adult years. They reconnect once again through a series of circumstances. It was both interesting and frustrating as they danced around this reconnection. The life happenings were hard but I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. I don’t want to give anything away so I will just say you need to read this story but be warned it will pull on your heartstrings.

[Liora Ellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hope of Times to Come is a beautifully written, deeply human story about confronting the ghosts of the past and finding redemption through pain. Francois Houle captures the quiet heartbreak of ordinary lives with empathy and grace. Raymond and Dorothy’s journeys both scarred by childhood trauma and lost opportunities unfold with authenticity and emotional weight. The narrative moves seamlessly between past and present, revealing how the smallest moments can shape an entire life. Thoughtful, tender, and haunting, this novel reminds us that it’s never too late to face the truth and rediscover the strength buried within us. A powerful read.

[D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written book where you get very involved with the story and the characters. The story took the views of the two main characters and interwove them. Even the flashbacks to their childhood was so well written and you understood where the two characters were coming from and their history. The title is a great title for this book. An added bonus is that it was really nice to read a Canadian author's book with places that I knew. Well done! I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lorene · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hope of Times to Come is a feel-good story that involves characters that are well developed. The book takes place in Canada. The main character is a retired detective who is truly a good man who raised his younger disabled sister. It is predictable after the first half, yet you want to know if you are correct in your prediction. I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.

[Maryann Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

lives colliding from past n present tragedies
first loves

[Debbie Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast, fun read!

It was a good story, but really wrapped up to soon. I had a lot more questions about the ending, and it wasn't really answered.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too simplistic and trite for me, plus it was difficult to overlook the editing glitches. The spelling errors, etc seemed to get worse the farther I went in the book.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Read

This book was so written. It flowed easily. There was heart breaking moments, moments of forgiveness and an excellent ending.