A-Z Wednesday: White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner

The chilled air inside the Tucson funeral chapel suppressed the punishing heat outside. Amanda shivered as she took a seat on the metal chair.

Title: White Picket Fences
Author: Susan Meissner
ISBN: 9781400074570
Publisher: WaterBrook Press/2009
Pages: 350

When sixteen-year-old Tally's father disappears, and her grandmother dies in Tucson, his sister Amanda Janvier takes her with her to San Diego. Tally has always led an unconventional life with her father, in unusual places. Amanda thinks that a settled life would be welcomed by Tally after all that wild living. Amanda and her husband Neil, along with their two children might be able to give Tally a normal life. Tally tries to resist the move as she knows that her father will come back for her. She doesn't want to tell anyone where he has gone.

Amanda's son Chase has those recurring dreams about a fire when he was a 4-year-old. His parents had long assumed that he has forgotten about it and they are shocked that he has not. When Chase and Tally end up doing a project that involves two Holocaust survivers, more family secrets seem to tumble out. Amanda and Neil's perfect life seems to crumble around them. Tally seems to be in the midst of all this. And everyone start questioning themselves and each other. When the truth comes out, it affects everyone's life.

Tally, in her own way, tries to help everyone to find and face the truth. Her faith in her father doesn't diminish. Although everyone is sceptical about him, she knows he will come back for her. His reasons of leaving her for a while might be incomprehensible for Amanda but Tally beieves in him. Through her, Amanda comes to know her brother, who despite his unconventional upbringing of Tally, loves and cares for his daughter and also cares about the past and its effect on the present and future. And in that we find true treasure.

Right from page one, this book keeps our interest alive. It deals with issues which plague all of us at one time or the other. Ignoring any thing that has happened in the past can't make it go away. We have to face it and deal with it or it will come back and haunt us almost destroying our lives. And when we do deal with it, it brings us unexpected treasure and untold pleasure.