Famed alt-country artist Annie Walsh has more than enough reason to sing her version of the blues, including a broken heart, a stalled career, and a troubled family. Annie seeks refuge from an upended love affair with her producer, Owen Pettybone, by sequestering herself at home with her old dog Detour, surrounded by a lush Florida tangelo grove. There, she spends her days furiously sanding down the house’s every veneer in a vain attempt at erasing the painful memory of the love she lost. Soon, however, this quiet, small town existence–far from recording studios, ardent fans, and affairs of the heart–comes crashing down around her. A violent murder connected to her brother Calder threatens to tear her family apart and forces Annie to shore up her loyalties and uproot profound disappointments from her distant past. The evidence stacks against Calder, compounded by his lifelong affliction with Tourette syndrome that causes some in the community to cast aspersions on the soundness of his mind.
As the circumstances converge to challenge lifetime ties and forge unexpected new bonds, this soulful, stirring novel shifts its narrative from an imperiled and ever-changing present, where each hour brings an unforeseen and unwelcome piece of news, to the poignant childhood days of first allegiances and life-altering loss. Like a fine and forlorn love ballad, the gifted, conflicted Annie lulls the reader into a journey through love and loss that mines the mysterious, and, at times, paradoxical rhythms of the human heart. As vibrant as Annie’s treasured tangelo grove, Carry Yourself Back to Me cultivates an always tender, sometimes tart, portrait of one family’s regret and redemption. Inflected with melancholy and redeemed by melody, this deeply affecting novel is certain to strike a resonant chord with music fans and lovers of fine fiction everywhere.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 1/5
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Language - 1/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 1/5
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Summary
Admittedly, I had a hard time getting involved in this book — the protagonist was so wishy-washy in the beginning she sort of drove me crazy. Annie Walsh, a famous singer/songwriter, was jilted by her longtime lover who left her for a younger woman. He couldn’t even say goodbye…he left a note. (Who can bother to shed tears over a man like that?) No matter how much she tries, Annie can’t seem to erase the memory of her lover until her brother is accused of murder. The thought of her brother in jail for murder pushes her out of the cocoon she’s created. Through flashbacks, we are taken through some tragic family history. Let’s just say - there’s a lot of sleeping around going on in this family. Even with the slow start, by the end of the book, I couldn’t put it down and was pleasantly surprised with the unexpected ending. (The ex-lover was a jerk till the end.)