Yesterday Mourning
By Renita Bryant
Publisher: Mynd Matters
Publishing
Published: Jan. 10,
2014
ASIN: B00CNTJIJA
Amazon Synopsis:
Yvette is a forty-one year old woman struggling to cope with losing both
parents during her twenties—one to terminal disease and the other to life’s
complications. Over the years, she learned to repress the pain of watching her
mother die and the resentment of having her father casually walk out of her
life. Now as she packs her bags to return to her Georgia hometown and the house
where final goodbyes were never spoken, a growing sense of uneasiness
intensifies.
Vera is the kind-hearted stepsister Yvette never imagined nor wanted. She was an innocent teenager when Yvette’s father, the Pastor, entered her life. Although broken
Vera is the kind-hearted stepsister Yvette never imagined nor wanted. She was an innocent teenager when Yvette’s father, the Pastor, entered her life. Although broken
When the Pastor’s health takes a turn for the worse, both daughters must decide if they have the strength and courage to no longer be confined to burdens of the past. Will Yvette overcome feelings of abandonment and forgive her father before it’s too late? Does Vera’s childhood secret hold the key to mending this family’s broken relationship?
Yesterday Mourning is a heartfelt and poignant novella about two women learning invaluable lessons of forgiveness, love, loss and ultimately—peace. It is an impressive debut from an author with an authentic voice and a love for storytelling.
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My Thoughts:
Yesterday Mourning
is a novel told from two points of view; two step-sisters who really don’t know
each other until they finally meet later in their forties. When Yvette’s mom
dies while Yvette is barely in her twenties, her dad falls into depression and
is not able to give his daughters the love and support they need. They feel
abandoned and when he remarries a few short months later, they feel betrayed
and don’t speak to him for years.
Now in her mid-forties, Yvette returns to her childhood home
to visit her younger sister Zoe, to find that she has forgiven their father and
met their step-sister.
Yvette now has to struggle with whether she can put the past
hurts behind her and visit her dying father. The bitterness that she has
fostered towards him in her heart is so huge, it’s almost overwhelming.
This was a very touching novel to read. Make sure you have a
box of tissues with you. You’ll probably need it. It is a good reminder of why
it’s better to forgive than to carry the burden of anger around for years. This
book will touch everyone who reads it because we have all felt these emotions
at one time or another. What we have done with those emotions will vary. Some
will have harbored the anger and turned it to bitterness like Yvette did. Some
will forgive. Some will not become angry at all, but understand that the father’s
distancing himself from his daughters is temporary and a function of the
depression due to his grief and will continue to reach out to him.
It’s easy to see and sympathize with Yvette why she felt the
way she did from her point of view. If only she could have known what the
reader knew her life with her father might have been different and happier.
And no one can really blame Vera for what she did as a
child. Yes, it was wrong and she shouldn’t have done it. But she did it out of
fear. Childish fear. That too might have made a difference in the way things
turned out.
This book is a great lesson in what can happen if we are
willing to put away the hurts of the past and embrace forgiveness. Yesterday Mourning doesn’t preach the
lesson. It demonstrates it most beautifully.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters were
engaging and real. I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book
in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required.
All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Renita Bryant, a native of Fort Valley, Georgia, had visions
of being a writer from an early age. "There's something magical about
using words on a page to emotionally propel someone into another time and
place."
Since obtaining her BS & MBA, Renita has worked for some
of the world's largest companies on many of their most recognizable household
brands. Although she finds the work rewarding, her passion for writing pushed
her to complete and publish her first novella, Yesterday Mourning, in May 2013.
Renita currently resides in Ohio and stays actively involved
in social media. She recently published
a collection of poetry, Remember Me Not (FREE download:
http://renitabryant.com/books/), and is working on book #2 in the Mourning series.
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