Book Review: "The Epicenter of Forever" by Mara Williams

“Maybe joy and suffering are the same subjects brushed in different hues—not either or, but both and. Coexistent. They are lovers with clasped hands and entwined bodies. Maybe in order to have one, you must embrace, accept the other. The beauty is not in the ever after but in trusting the now.”

When Eden was growing up, she spent summers in the idyllic California mountain town of Grand Trees. It was a town that embraced nature and she loved the people who lived there.

But Grand Trees was also the place where her dreams ended and she dealt with a betrayal that shattered her family. Eden fled, vowing never to return. And apart from a brief appearance at a funeral, she’s kept that promise—until now. When she gets news that her estranged mother is suffering from Parkinson’s, she heads back there.

When she arrives, Eden finds her mother’s condition is worse than she thought. She also meets Caleb, her mother’s step-nephew and caregiver, who immediately blames Eden for all that transpired with her mother through the years. But despite her mother’s found family, she’s determined to try and rebuild their relationship, even if it means reopening old wounds.

While she is staying with her mother, Eden finds her relationship with Caleb changing from an adversarial one to a romantic one. Both have more in common than they realize. But the demands of her mother’s condition force Eden to make a choice: her family or her heart?

I thought this was so good. It’s a love story, sure, but it’s also about parental love and the fierce love of found family. I found Mara Williams’ use of imagery to be so powerful as well. ⁣