Dovetail: a family tragedy and its aftermath

Dovetail is the newest book by Karen McQuestion. Pearl Arneson has lived a life of many regrets. She is the only one left who knows the truth about her sister, Alice’s death. The story opens in 1983 when 84-year-old Pearl Arneson seeks out her grandson, 22-year-old Joe, who was placed in a psychiatric treatment center for disturbing dreams with no clear cause or psychiatric break. She has a job for him. The family home in Pullman, Wisconsin needs to be cleaned and the items inventoried in order to sell the house. Joe takes the job, hoping the work can help him figure out these strange dreams. Rewind to 1916, when 17-year-old Pearl, the second of seven daughters, dreams of leaving their tiny town and traveling the world. Her older sister, Alice, is 19 years old and takes care of the family after the tragic death of their mother. That summer a handsome and eligible bachelor comes to the family’s farm to work at the local mill. John Lawrence is immediately infatuated with Alice, much to the horror of Pearl and Frank, the local man who fancies himself Alice’s beau. As the summer progresses and love blossoms between John and Alice, Pearl tries her best to keep them apart, but will her schemes go too far? In 1983, Joe works on the family home and develops a friendship with a local businesswoman, Kathleen, who is hiding a painful past herself. Joe notices a change in his dreams. He finds pieces of his family’s history that he knew nothing about. Will Joe find peace from his dreams? Will Pearl find the forgiveness she is seeking?

Dovetail is a beautiful, tragic story filled jealousy, guilt, redemption and finding peace within yourself. It is a story of how one tragedy can cause a cascade of poor decisions and life-altering mistakes. In the opening chapter, Pearl admits Alice died because of her foolish pride and with that note, the reader is taken on a journey between 1916 and 1983 as the mystery unfolds. How did Alice die? How is Pearl responsible? How is Pearl’s grandson, Joe, connected to it all? While I had a hard time sympathizing with teenage Pearl, as an older woman, I enjoyed Pearl as she realizes her time is short and wants to make amends or atonement for her actions. I laughed at her no-nonsense attitude. I related more to and enjoyed Alice and watching her fall in love was bittersweet. Even though, I knew from the beginning that she dies, her death was painful, emotional and shocking. I enjoyed Joe’s story and his battle with what he has been told is a mental illness, but he realizes it just doesn’t fit. I also enjoyed the relationship development between Joe and Kathleen. It felt very realistic as a woman who was running from a past bad relationship to be cautious going forward. Joe and Kathleen have a connection they couldn’t explain but they let their relationship flow naturally. The romances in the story are done beautifully. Dovetail is my first Karen McQuestion book and it won’t be my last. I look forward to reading her past titles and eagerly await her new books. I highly recommend Dovetail! 

Dovetail

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook