Shelter is a central theme in this beautifully written drama about a newly-minted window with a baby and young son. Her richly drawn characters and emotional depth provide a satisfying read that lasts long after you’re finished with the book. 

Janie, a thirty-something widow, is six months into widowhood, with no energy to do more than the required care of her children. Her support network – her crazy Aunt Jude, her next door neighbor Shelly, and the priest Father Jake, who comes by at Aunt Jude’s beckoning, help keep Janie physically and emotionally afloat. Shelter Me fills out the cast with a distant mother, the easy-going carpenter fulfilling her husband’s final gift to her – a front porch, her baker cousin Cormac and delightfully, her son’s best friend Keane and his offbeat parents. 

Fay accomplishes both tenderness and humor in taking us to Janie’s husband’s death anniversary and the ups and downs along the way. Mostly downs. But gentle rolling ups, too. Janie’s journal entries provide us first person narrative, while the rest of the book is told in Janie’s third person point of view. The most interesting character was the young priest, who shares his secrets with Janie and helps her see light at the end of the grief-stricken tunnel. To say I loved Shelter Me doesn’t seem complimentary enough. So I’ll go with cheerleader-enthusiasm and say that I love, love, loved Shelter Me. Read it and weep. 

For: A warm, sentimental read this winter – Malena Lott

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I recommend Shelter Me by Juliette Faye. While I was writing Dating da Vinci I steered clear of any widow-as-protagonist tales, but now that my book is out there, it’s fun to read another widow tale. I’m only fifty pages in, but I can’t wait to dig back in. Fay’s widow has two young children, a visiting priest and an unreliable contractor who is supposed to finish the front porch her husband contracted before his death. I’ll give you a full briefing when I’m finished. Read along with me, why don’t you? What are you reading this break? Do share. And happy holidays from Athena’s Bookshelf!

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