True Stories at the Smoky View
A Novel
by Jill McCroskey Coupe
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Pub Date Apr 05 2016 | Archive Date May 22 2017
Description
True Stories at the Smoky View is a wry, intricate novel about family and friendship, tyranny and justice. Although Vrai (short for Vraiment), an art history librarian in Baltimore, has not spoken to her friend Skip for over a year, after his sudden death, she dutifully takes his ashes and his dog home to his mother in Knoxville, Tennessee. Vrai has no idea why Skip stepped into traffic in Baltimore with his hands over his eyes, or why he so abruptly ended their longtime friendship.
After Skip’s service, Vrai rescues ten-year-old Jonathan, who has been abandoned in the funeral home parking lot. The Blizzard of 1993 soon strands this unlikely duo at the Smoky View Motel, where Jonathan, whose parents were assassinated by Pinochet’s henchmen, comes across clues pointing to a possible suspect in Skip’s death.
By the end of this story of mutual rescue, both Vrai’s and Jonathan’s lives have been changed forever.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“This debut author has a knack for storytelling and great characters.”—Booklist
“…riveting….Coupe handles this complex tale of troubled romance, broken families, redeeming friendship, and inexplicable evil with intelligence, grace, and grit. This exhilarating debut novel brims with honesty, charm, heart, and good humor.”—John Dufresne, author of No Regrets, Coyote
“What's better than discovering a wonderful debut author? Discovering a wonderful local debut author! . . . This is a story that creeps up on you: charming at first, then wrapping you in its spell until you truly feel the characters' losses and what they have at stake. The plot is something you could almost imagine happening, yet just quirky enough to leave you with a frisson of escapist delight. Coupe's work is reminiscent of such varied sources as The Decameron, private eye stories and the films of Woody Allen. But ultimately, it's its own amiable and poignant self.”—The Ivy Bookshop blog
“True Stories At The Smoky View examines the mysteries and complexities of family, friendship, love and romance, and evil both grandiose and petty. In Vrai Lynde, in particular, Coupe has given us a vivid portrait of a complicated woman torn in many directions by her loves and her loyalties.”—Smoky Mountain News
“You’ve got love a novel whose protagonist is an emotionally adrift art librarian turned kidnapper and detective. Stir together a literary mystery with a compelling setting, a liberal dash of humor, and a touching relationship and you get…True Stories at the Smoky View.”—StoryCircle Book Reviews
“Coupe has created a compelling narrative about a smart and feisty librarian named Vraiment, whose colleague, Skip, may or may not have been the victim of foul play….This is a thoroughly absorbing book that I found difficult to put down. The personalities Coupe conjured stayed with me long after I finished reading. The writing is beautiful: spare and funny. A most enjoyable read.”—Maureen Beck, former Director of Library Services, Stevenson University
“I really enjoyed this book. And not entirely just because I am a librarian. :-) And the best part? The ending… it's not often that I read such a fabulous ending.”—Whispering Pretty Stories blog
“Coupe’s wonderful first novel is above all testament to Eudora Welty’s observation that “all serious daring starts from within.” With an abundance of wit and accuracy of feeling, Coupe beautifully charts both the complexities of loyalty and the internal growth of Vrai Lynde, her central character, and she does so in clear, precise prose.”—Jane Brox, author Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light
“Skillfully written, with careful attention to detail and a liberal sprinkling of humor, this novel by a librarian and with a librarian protagonist combines mystery and suspense with a woman’s journey toward fulfillment in middle age. This well-wrought tale secures a place for Jill Coupe among the ranks of librarians who have created excellent fiction . . .”—Teddy Jones, author of Jackson’s Pond, Texas
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781631520518 |
| PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
Average rating from 7 members
Featured Reviews
Ann K, Bookseller
Vrai returns to Knoxville for the funeral of her friend Skip. She is stranded at a motel during a blizzard with Jonathan, a 10 year old boy who is the son of her best friend who died with her husband shortly after his birth in Chile. Vrai connects with Jonathan and begins to examine the relationships in her life with new eyes. She also finds there are some strange connections between the deaths of Skip, his sister and Jonathan's parents. Well written and captivating, you enjoy the growth between the two and the other fringe characters.
Rosemary S, Librarian
Vrai has returned to Knoxville to attend the funeral of her old friend Skip when she gets stranded at the Smoky View motel during the blizzard of 1993. It’s here she meets Jonathan, an unusual ten year old, and the son of her deceased best friend. Talking with Jonathan, Vrai recounts her memories of his mother and her old friend Skip. Something about the storm, the quiet intimacy of the setting and Jonathan’s unusual perceptiveness allows Vrai to see her life and the people in it in a whole new light. A quietly lovely story
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