A HISTORICAL NOVEL ABOUT A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER AND THE SECRET SHAPING THEIR ROCKY RELATIONSHIP
1918:
Just as Robin Holcomb settles into married life with her husband, Willis, on his aunt and un-cle’s farm in Wisconsin, WWI calls Willis away. With an unknown future and a child on the way, Robin makes the best of life among people she barely knows.
After the birth of her child, Robin struggles with depression and battles to overcome her inner demons before despair and hopelessness drive her to attempt to take her own life. Will Robin survive her dive into postpartum depression, let alone see Willis again?
1983:
Enid Fenton clears out her Mother’s house and puts the family farm up for sale, trying to not be consumed by guilt for installing her mother into the county nursing home.
Reading through some of her mother’s diary entries, Enid uncovers a secret that helps her make sense of the unnamed point of division that has always soured their relationship.
Can Enid reconcile with her mother before the ravages of Alzheimer’s claim her?
Readers of historical fiction, Christian historical fiction, literary fiction, and women’s fiction will be moved as this novel takes them from the depths of a person’s psyche and grief to the pinnacle of long-hoped-for peace.
PRAISE
Knipfer has created a story that crosses many genres and will appeal to those who love poign-ant epics about complex characters, engrossing plots, relatable situations, and a satisfying end-ing.” Tammy Ruggles for Readers’ Favorite, five-star review
“A sensitive and well-crafted drama unpacking issues of mental health, layers of grief, societal expectations, and the instability of memory, this novel is touching on the surface, but subtly and profoundly layered with meaning.” Self-Publishing Review ★★★★★
"A heart-rending, emotionally packed love story between a mother and daughter, Under the Weeping Willow is a journey of loss and brokenness coupled with forgiveness and healing. This time-split novel captured my heart and didn't release it until the final page. Beautiful and haunting, Robin and Enid's story swept me to another era. These characters lived, and I loved watching them find their way to each other. Keep the tissues handy. You don't want to miss this story!" ~Candace West, Selah award finalist and author of the Valley Creek Redemption series
EXCERPT
Soon I’m parked by the farmhouse, which needs a fresh coat of paint. The white is thin in some spots, chipped in others. I leave the Dodge, bang the screen door, and unlock the interior door into the laundry room and the kitchen. The house has a stale smell to it, like flat beer.
I don’t know where to start. The bedrooms need cleaning out, and the entire kitchen needs to get packed up. Clive and I talked about renting the house, but we haven’t decided yet. Kelly has no interest in it; neither does Cassie’s family.
I stand in the living room, trying to decide where to start, but an unexpected wave of tiredness—or nostalgia—washes over me. Mom’s diary. I pick it up from the stack of books I left it on last time and sit down in the recliner.
I thumb through the pages and find the pink ribbon marker where I left off. Mom’s handwriting slants hard to the right. I have trouble deciphering a few words as I read...
April 20th, 1977
Dear Diary,
I can see how Enid looks at me—like I’ve lost my mind. I was supposed to meet her for coffee this morning and shopping, but I forgot. She said she called and reminded me last night, but to be honest I don’t even remember her call.
Enid. What will she do with me? Will she have to babysit me? Heaven forbid. How the tables turn in life. I remember how new everything was as a young mother, all those years ago in 1918. It seems like a whole other lifetime. A whole other me.
I remember the good and precious moments of cuddles and
smiles, but I also remember the badlands I camped out in. That inward place pricked as dry as the desert and just as gouged out— a literal depression.
But no one outside of family knew that I spent two months at an insane asylum. Marge called it a sanitarium, but I knew better than that. Looking back, she and Hal probably deemed it necessary, and maybe it was. Things might have been different if Willis had been at home.
I remember that day by the willow. It had all felt so right at the time, but later I could see how dark a place I had been to. I don’t know why I did it. None of the doctors gave me a definitive cause. They forced what they called “preventative” measures on me to help get rid of my feminine nerves. And the stupid, silly woman that I was let them do it.
I did not tell Enid the truth when she asked years later why she didn’t have a brother or sister. I have had to shelter her from the grisly facts of my past. She doesn’t need to know. What possible good could come from it? It’s been done and over long ago, and that’s that.
Time to go. I’m falling asleep. I hope I dream of Willis tonight. I always awake more clear-headed the next day if I do.
I close the diary slowly with an ache in my gut at what my mother might be referring to. What can she mean? I have a lot of digging to do.
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Jenny Knipfer
Spending many years as a librarian in a local public library, Jenny recently switched to using her skills as a floral designer in a retail flower shop. She is now retired from work due to disa-bility. Her education background stems from psychology, music, and cultural missions.
All of Jenny’s books have earned five-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite, a book review and award contest company. She holds membership in the: Midwest Independent Booksellers As-sociation, Wisconsin Writers Association, Christian Indie Publishing Association, and Inde-pendent Book Publishers Association.
Jenny’s favorite place to relax is by the western shore of Lake Superior, where her novel series, By The Light of the Moon, is set.
She deems a cup of tea and a good book an essential part of every day. When not writing, Jen-ny can be found reading, tending to her many houseplants, or piecing quilt blocks at her sewing machine.
Her new historical fiction, four-part series entitled, Sheltering Trees, is set in the area Jenny grew up in, where she currently lives, and places along Minnesota’s Northern Shore, where she loves to visit. She is currently writing a four-part novella series entitled: Botanical Seasons.
Keep current with Jenny by visiting her website at https://jennyknipfer.com. Ways to connect with Jenny via social media, newsletter, and various book sites can be found on her website.
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Thank you so much for hosting the blog tour for Under the Weeping Willow.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club
You are more than welcome.
DeleteThanks so much for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteYou are more than welcome. I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour.
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