The Tenderest of Strings

Reuben and Ardith Rosenfeld move from Chicago to the small town of Welton, Colorado, hoping the change of scenery will be the change of pace their family needs. Reuben, a former copyeditor at the Chicago Tribune purchases the local paper, while Ardith stays home and attempts to fix up their fixer-upper and manage their troubled teenager, Harry, and amiable younger son, Jamie. Unfortunately, the move west fails to strengthen the family, and unbeknownst to Reuben, Ardith begins an affair. Then after a cookout, a fatal hit-and-run leads to both shocks in the community and exposes a secret that could rip the Rosenfeld family apart. As the hunt for the driver begins, more than one person in Welton will be faced with the cost of keeping secrets and the consequences of the truth.

An engrossing contemporary read, “The Tenderest of Strings” is a drama in book form. Full of secrets, lies, misunderstandings, and relationships, this book plays up the effects of different choices the characters make, and how their communication - or lack of, pulls them in so many ways. The perspective rotates among the family members and portrays the ups and downs, filled with emotion. In many ways, this book is ideal for a book club as it is a love it or hate it quality, combined with several thought-provoking moments. The story does have a few flaws, such as the sudden time jumps and the open-ended conclusion in some of the relationships. However, a book like this with both a mystery and relationship drama, will undoubtedly find many fans!

Sarah E Bradley