Customer Reviews

More Than Sorrow

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A beautifully described rural setting is the centerpiece of this book which also takes us on a journey both to the past and to dark memories of Afghanistan. I've been a fan of the author's other work but this stand alone is definitely among her best. The characters are so well drawn, you feel you know them but the novel doesn't get lost in their individual stories. Rather it pulls them along in a gripping tale with surprises I didn't see coming. Highly recommended.

First Sentence: They tell me it was an IED hidden I the truck full of goats going to market, pulled off to the side of the road with an apparent flat tire.

Journalist Hannah Storm is recovering of head injuries resulting from and IED attack in Afghanistan. She is staying in the old home of her sister and her family whose neighbors are housing Hila, an Afghani woman also severely injured by the war with whom she develops a quiet friendship. Visits to the farm’s root cellar have Hannah discovering more than vegetables; blackouts results in visions of a woman living during the American Revolution. When Hila is discovered murdered, Hannah must deal with her own recovery while trying to uncover the link between the death and the visions.

Ms. Delaney’s book begins with an excellent opening chapter that captures your attention and compels you to read more. She provides evocative descriptions of places and gives you an insight into the background of the protagonist. She also establishes a wonderful sense of the creepy fairly early in the story which, unfortunately, becomes a bit lost along the way.

There are basically three threads to the story; Hannah’s recovery, the possible haunting and the murder. While each is interesting, the weaving of them isn’t necessarily as tight as one might like to the point where I found sections a little dull. I did appreciate the perspective of seeing the life of a Loyalist wife during the Revolutionary War. However, although having an understanding of her life was critical to the story’s climax, it didn’t enhance the suspense of the story. The same could also be said of Hila’s character. She provided a means by which we had a small view into the life of an Afghani woman and a perspective of Afghanistan and the involvement of the West, but I never had a sense of her as a person.

Hannah is a well-drawn, fully dimensional character and reading about her dealing her injuries was one of the most interesting elements of the story. I truly showed the issues of those dealing with unseen injuries or ailments and the lack of understanding and resentments it can incite in others. Unfortunately, the men didn’t fare as well. They felt to be stereotypes, one of which felt completely superfluous to the plot. I identified one of the villains way too early while others seemed rather over-the-top; not so much due to their actions but more due to the dialogue which seemed forced.

In spite of the issues I may have had, “More Than Sorrow” was a good read. It kept me interested all the way through and I did enjoy it.

MORE THAN SORROW (Para Myst-Hannah Manning-Canada-Contemporary/18th Cent) – Good
Delany, Vicki – Standalone
Poisoned Pen Press, 2012