I received an Amazon.com gift certificate over the holidays and a couple months later I had fun loading up my virtual shopping cart with new books. Sandra Novack's debut novel Precious was included in that shopping spree, and when it arrived I started reading it on a Saturday morning and finished it by Sunday. It's a book I'd heard nothing about but it's so compelling and beautifully written that I only put it down to eat, brush my teeth, and sleep. How's that for a book recommendation?
Precious (available in hardcover) follows a family thrown into crisis one summer in 1978 when the matriarch, Natalia Kisch, suddenly walks out on her husband, Frank, and her daughters (nine-year-old Sissy and 17-year-old Eva). At the same time, the family's small Pennsylvania town is rocked by the disappearance of Sissy's one-time best friend Vicki. The intriguing story is made more startling by the way Novack brings to life the tensions that exist in all families (between siblings, parents and children, husbands and wives).
I jumped at the chance to discuss the book with Novack, though to give fair warning, the interview could be considered a little spoilery as Novack talks about events in her real life that inspired some aspects of this book. To get to know this author, read more
