A review by lynburn
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan

4.0

4.5 Stars. The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan is an endearing story of loss and grief, but also of rediscovering hope and joy. This book is filled with wonderfully quirky, broken characters and Ms. Hogan exposes their layers throughout the telling of this story. Masha is a woman who has lost her son, Gabriel. No longer a mother, and not a wife, she worries that she’ll end up alone at the end of her life. Alice is a mom to teenaged, Mattie. But Alice harbors a secret that tie the two women together. This book is like a painting: there’s the objects we the reader see, Alice and Masha. Then there’s the environment they are in (Masha spends a lot of time in the cemetery and in the local pool; Alice remains isolated in her house outside the village). There’s the supporting characters: Marsha’s friends Edward, Epiphany, her dog Haizum, local undertaker Elvis, Kitty Muriel, and Sally with her red shoes; Alice only has Mattie. The painting referenced in the story is Ophelia by John Everett Millais, but unlike that Ophelia who lays singing before drowning in a river, Masha, the Ophelia in this story experiences a rebirth of sorts. The cemetery teaches her to embrace life, to be thankful for the days given to us, and as she befriends Sally, who feeds the crows in the cemetery, she also learns to not judge others for everyone has a story. Because of the relationships she has with those around her, Masha reopens herself to love, hope and joy.

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next story by Ruth Hogan. I was given an advanced e-book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! #netgalley #thewisdomofsallyredshoes