A review by nonna7
Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle

4.0

When I put my name on the library list for this book, my mother was still alive. I got the download a week ago and just finished it. This was an interesting and well written book although some (a lot!) would call it a "downer." The book centers around a house currently being occupied by Shelley, a single mother, who is a court reporter in a small North Carolina town. Shelley, her strange and unhappy 6 year old son, Harvey, Frank and Lil are the main characters. All of them have had their lives shaped by horrific losses. We only learn of Shelley's at the very end. Frank lived in the house Shelley is currently renting and wants to see the inside. Both Frank and Lil lost parents at young ages and neither ever fully recovered. As the book progresses Shelley's story unfolds as Harvey's behavior becomes more and more erratic and her older son, Jason, comes home to confront her about the lies she has told. I think I will read another of her books even if it as much a downer as this one. The elderly couple, especially, made me think more about my own mortality. It's not a pleasant thought.