Review: The Truth about Love and Lightning by Susan McBride |

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (February 12, 2013)
ISBN-10: 006202728X
Source: Publisher

When a tornado tears through Gretchen Brink’s land, the impact is not only structural but emotional. Gretchen and her twin sisters discover the body of a man unconscious on their property, a man who has no memory of his life or identity. Additionally, her grown daughter Abby returns home unexpectedly with her own emotional storm: she is pregnant, not certain if she will wed the father. Upon seeing the man, Abby is certain it is her long-lost father, Sam, a man who disappeared decades ago while volunteering in Africa. The storm that brought this man to them is eerily similar to the storm that occurred shortly after Sam disappeared. The appearance of this man, affectionately referred to as “the man who might be Sam” unleashes a host of memories and deeply buried secrets Gretchen has kept repressed all these years. Worried that these secrets will shatter the fragile family she’s built, Gretchen must accept the inevitable and allow fate to take its course.

The Truth about Love and Lightning is a truly rewarding novel. The characters McBride creates are incredibly endearing and multifaceted. Adding to the completely unique storyline is a trace of mystery, really adding to the intensity of this emotional read. The pacing of this novel was impeccable, not rushed or forced but flowed quite naturally. Flashbacks allow the reader to uncover a tremendous amount of detail about Gretchen, Sam and his family’s “gift,” an aspect that added a tinge of mysticism to the story.

There are definitely a number of characteristics about this book that would make it the perfect book club read, including the P.S. section at the end of the book that includes information about the author and her other books and list of questions to aid a book club discussion

A truly unique and genuine story about the importance of family, of living in the past and not the present, and of accepting life’s gifts, The Truth about Love and Lightning is a novel that I wholeheartedly recommend.

Thank you to TLC book tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please be sure to check out the other stops in the tour. Learn more about the author here.