The Kindness of Strangers

Katrina Kittle

Sarah Laden and her sons are still healing from the death of her husband from cancer a couple years earlier. They live in an affluent suburb of Dayton, Ohio. Nate is 17 and constantly in trouble. He's been suspended from school more than once. Danny, 11, is outgrowing childhood and into a teen. Courtney, an obstetrician, is Sarah's best friend. If not for Courtney Sarah isn't sure she could have gotten past Ron's death. Danny and Courtney's son Jordan had been been friends and classmates. Recently the boys had fought and weren't speaking.

One morning Sarah finds Jordan passed out on a restroom floor. There was a bottle of drugs and a syringe by him. She rushes him to the hospital where he is admitted for an overdose. She isn't allowed to stay with him while the hospital staff contact Jordan's parents. Then events take a bizarre turn. Jordan was an abused child. Sarah went over to Courtney's house in time to meet Courtney being arrested for sexual abuse and child pornography. Her husband has disappeared.

Sarah can't believe what she is hearing. She has known Courtney for years. Courtney loves her son. Courtney is nice, an obstetrician who loves her patients. Courtney couldn't have known what was going on - could she have?

Jordan is in the hospital alone and frightened. He doesn't want anyone to know about his parents. He is ashamed that he has brought attention to himself. He is sorry that he didn't die before Mrs. Laden found him. If he was lucky, no one would find his backpack and the CDs he had hidden there. He refuses to see anyone or talk to anyone, including the hospital personnel and doctors who are trying to help him. He refuses to see Mrs. Laden when she comes to visit him. But when Nate lies to his mother and goes to the hospital, Jordan allows him to come in.

The Kindness of Strangers is a compelling novel with a terrible theme. The first chapter takes place 12 years in the future. Obviously the family is now happy, so the book carries a hopeful note even at its lowest. While it's never graphic, nothing is left to doubt about what happened to Jordan at the hands of his own father - and mother, too? I picked this up on a weekend evening. It's a good thing I didn't have to go to work the next day. I didn't put it down until I closed the last page. When I turned out the light the story kept revolving in my mind. It was the first thing in my head the next morning. The characters pulled me in and kept me going through the book.

The novel takes a clear look at sexual child abuse, especially in their own homes. It doesn't get maudlin or angry in tone. Katrina Kittle has taken a serious subject and put it into a readable novel that makes the point without overwhelming the reader. I like the way Kittle handled a horrific topic with a light, encouraging touch. It's an easy read, flowing well as the story is narrated by Sarah, Jordan, and Nate. With each other they can work through the horror and start a healing process for all of them. This is an excellent book.

Notice: Non-graphic violence, Suggestive dialogue or situations

Publicist provided for review