Chasing Sophea
A Novel
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
“Poignant and gripping . . . a heartfelt portrayal of a family’s shameful secrets and the power of unconditional love.”
–Tracy Price-Thompson, author of A Woman’s Worth
People don’t usually name tornadoes, but that year, Daddy insisted. “Any twister that beautiful and that dangerous can only be female. Reminds me of a woman I used to know named Sophea.” He laughed. “Sophea, Sophea.”
Dahlia’s life should be perfect. She’s a successful businesswoman with a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter. But Dahlia senses that something isn’t quite right. More and more often, she has the feeling of being lost in her own body, completely mystified by the simplest things, like traffic lights and car horns. These spells strike at anytime, anywhere. And though aware that she’s off balance, Dahlia has no idea what could be the cause.
As Dahlia’s grasp on reality loosens, the signs lead to a traumatic event from her childhood that has made its way into her adult life. There is someone else lurking in the back of Dahlia’s mind–and she wants out. Now she must revisit the painful past, and the memories of a mother who had her own mental demons. The only problem is: Dahlia might have to lose herself entirely if she wants to discover the secrets of that long-ago day when Sophea came to town.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Despite her cushy Pasadena life and marriage to the preciously nicknamed "Milky," part-time college teacher Dahlia Chang suffers blackouts and headaches, can't remember a thing about her childhood except her mother dying suddenly and is subject to the malicious jealousy of mysterious bad girl Phoebe. Gradually, Pina (Bliss) reveals what the reader guesses early on that Phoebe is an alter ego, the product of a mental trauma Dahlia suffered as a girl. Enter Dahlia's Aunt Baby, who resolves to heal Dahlia, even if it means hauling Dahlia to the plantationlike home in Dallas where she grew up to confront the past. Meanwhile, unaware of his wife's journey, Milky strikes out for Dallas on his own to investigate her mysterious condition and learns from resident grave digger Percival Tweed about Dahlia's sordid family history. Emotions drive this novel; the characters often amount to little more than convenient vehicles that speak and think in either hoary dialect or wooden exchanges. When the living and the dead finally reunite, the book picks up a small bit of suspenseful steam and becomes an affecting story about the power of family love to mend old wounds.
