Book Review: THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW

From the Publisher:

Conceived in love and possibility, Bonaventure Arrow didn't make a peep when he was born, and the doctor nearly took him for dead. No one knows that Bonaventure's silence is filled with resonance—a miraculous gift of rarified hearing that encompasses the Universe of Every Single Sound. Growing up in the big house on Christopher Street in Bayou Cymbaline, 

Bonaventure can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops. He can also hear the gentle voice of his father, William Arrow, shot dead before Bonaventure was born by a mysterious stranger known only as the Wanderer.

Bonaventure's remarkable gift of listening promises salvation to the souls who love him: his beautiful young mother, Dancy, haunted by the death of her husband; his Grand-mère Letice, plagued by grief and a long-buried guilt she locks away in a chapel; and his father, William, whose roaming spirit must fix the wreckage of the past. With the help of Trinidad Prefontaine, a Creole housekeeper endowed with her own special gifts, Bonaventure will find the key to long-buried mysteries and soothe a chorus of family secrets clamoring to be healed.

My Review:

I first saw it on facebook, where someone tagged it as the book that will change your life. Of course this intrigued me. I have been an avid reader since those first See Spot Run books. The art of telling a story fascinates me. I love to see where authors work. The "A Room of Her Own" feature on the She Reads blog is one of my favorites. I also like to hear the story behind the story. Every novel begins with a thought, a character, a scene, something that compels the author to put the story down on paper - in black and white - to share with others.

A mute boy who has wondrous hearing, but how can he communicate? Bonaventure and his doting mother and Grand-mere Letice find a way.

Bonaventure lives in his father's childhood home with his mother and paternal grandmother. The house harbors three secrets - one in his mother's closet, one in his grandmother's prayer room, and the ghostly father of Bonadventure that only he can hear and communicate with that is until Trinidad comes to work for the family.

Trinidad and Bonadventure are drawn to one another - a celestial bond - Trinidad guides Bonadventure helping him bring peace to the guilt, mystery, and grief that his mother and grandmother each harbor in their heart. 

He also helps bring healing to his Grandmother Roman, the local postmistress, who feels it is her job to monitor the mail and packages of those around her. Sometimes a letter just needs to be misplaced - never to be delivered. She has a mission to heal her grandson for she feels his muteness is his choice, something he could easily overcome.

This year, She Reads has picked some excellent books for their selection of the month. In January, there was THE ART FORGER by B.A. Shapiro. In February, Julie Kibler's CALLING ME HOME, which has been picked up by Warner Bros. Could it be the next SECRET LIFE OF BEES or THE HELP? 

I hope you'll join us at She Reads this month for giveaways, blog posts, recipes, and our online discussion on Rita Leganski's THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW.

I am excited about making the Shoo Fly Marmalade featured by Ingrid at Edible Tapestry.