The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris

The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris– 464 pages

Book Blurb:

Two years have done little to ease veterinarian Audra Hughes’s grief over her husband’s untimely death. Eager for a fresh start, Audra plans to leave Portland for a new job in Philadelphia. Her seven-year-old son, Jack, seems apprehensive about flying—but it’s just the beginning of an anxiety that grows to consume him.

As Jack’s fears continue to surface in recurring and violent nightmares, Audra hardly recognizes the introverted boy he has become. Desperate, she traces snippets of information unearthed in Jack’s dreams, leading her to Sean Malloy, a struggling US Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan. Together they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II, and uncover old family secrets that still have the strength to wound—and perhaps, at last, to heal.

My Review: 4. 5 stars

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Damn a book that keeps me up til 3:30am to finish, but I’m damn that it did! The book is broken into short chapters that are the voices of two women, separated by 75 years, but connected in miraculous ways. Both stories kept my interest equally and the author writes at a pace that keeps the reader in suspense as the plot unfolds. Part historical fiction, part current day worries of a single, newly widowed mom, this book offers it all: family drama, romance, Nazis, heroes, friendships, war, parenting, history and more. I was anxiously awaiting this author’s next novel after thoroughly enjoying The Bridge Of Scarlet Leaves and once again she has created a satisfying read!

Quotes I liked:

Like cold fingers to a flame, she was drawn to the danger of his warmth.

Loss, even the worst kind, also arrived through the deafening quiet of an absence.

The most wonderful type of love, she had learned, was the kind built with care and over time, through forgiveness and understanding, compromise and compassion, trust and acceptance. It was hidden in the minutiae of everyday life; it was in the traded smiles during a radio show or the peaceful lulls on an evening stroll.

Maybe heaven entailed more than a soul residing in a single place, but instead having pieces of yourself spread among the hearts and memories of people you’ve touched.