The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry

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Summary:

Zee, once a rebellious teenager compensating for her mother’s suicide, is now a successful therapist living in Boston. One patient, Lilly, greatly reminds Zee of her mother, so it doesn’t make sense to her when she fails to see Lilly’s suicide coming. In an effort to find the truth hidden behind the lies Lilly divulged at her sessions with Zee, Zee determines to reveal the real circumstances that surround her death. Meanwhile, Zee’s father, diagnosed with Parkinson’s a decade earlier, is now taking a turn for the worst. When Zee leaves Boston to return home to Salem to care for her father, she is launched into an adventure that will shed light on her mother’s past, her own romances, and the truth behind Lilly’s death… and ultimately force Zee to discover who she is and for once, what she really wants.

Comments:

Brunonia Barry can craft a genius story about any subject. Her earlier novel, The Lace Reader (review), is probably my favorite book, so I came to The Map of True Places with high expectations, despite the fact that the book’s blurb did not really reach out to me. I was not disappointed. This story weaved its way into my heart right away, just like The Lace Reader did. The only part of the narrative that I found frustrating was the apparent repetition throughout it. In one chapter, the narrator will say something like “Finch was from a different era” and in a subsequent chapter, the narrator will say, “She often thought Finch seemed from a different era” as though it was the initial revelation. This happens with a lot of topics: Maureen’s unfinished manuscript, the fate of the Friendship, what happened on the day Maureen killed herself, etc. Mickey is introduced several times not just as “The Pirate King” but also with an explanation for the nickname. I found myself feeling belittled, like the author figured I wouldn’t remember anything she had already told me. But in another way, the repetition serves to separate the characters, as though every time we are glimpsing another point of view, we are being told the story again— sometimes with new twists but often the exact story. And in another way, this repetition creates a sort of timelessness to the story, as if you could pick it up at any point and understand the characters, the plot, the idea. Of course, I’m not sure what Barry’s intention was, but kudos to her for turning my slight peeve into something that, in a certain light, benefits the reality of the story.

Do I recommend this book?

It did not surpass The Lace Reader in greatness, but some of the same characters from The Lace Reader make appearances, which is sure to please any fan. And it was an excellent book. So if you’ve read The Lace Reader and enjoyed the Salem setting and Barry’s unique (and amazing!) gift of storytelling, you must read The Map of True Places. And if you’ve never heard of either book, you still must read The Map of True Places. And if you don’t read at all, you must read The Map of True Places. And if…

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Tags: Books, Brunonia Barry, Fiction, The Lace Reader, The Map of True Places