Summary: Loretta Davenport has visions which disorient and disturb her. As the wife of a Pentecostal professor at a strictly religious Bible school in 1950s America, she walks the line of the dutiful wife and mother of two. But all is not well in the Davenport household. Pete Davenport does not accept Loretta’s psychic abilities, and his authoritarian, controlling nature clashes with Loretta’s desire for more independence and autonomy. When the clarity of Loretta’s vision brings authorities directly to the burial site of a missing girl, Pete fears for his pious image and career ambitions. As tensions between Loretta and Pete come to a head, Loretta must decide who to trust and whether to listen to the spirits clamoring for her attention.

Thoughts: In this novel, Paulette Kennedy truly captures and conveys the restrictive social norms and patriarchal establishment of the 1950s. A young woman born and raised in modern society would hardly believe that just seventy years ago, women had virtually no independence or power. It was almost impossible to divorce or leave a miserable marriage, and a woman had no right to the children she had birthed and raised practically on her own. Loretta’s struggle is indeed heart-wrenching; and it is a testament to the author’s skill that I could feel such venomous hatred for a fictional character like Pete Davenport. Also frightening and surreal is the accurate depiction of the barbaric practices of psychiatric institutions during that period. The conclusion provides blessed relief for the emotional rollercoaster and the ending is more than satisfying. Well done, Paulette!