Bookanistas: IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby

FIRST, just a quick note of thanks for all the great comments on yesterday's post about award-winning book covers. Keep 'em coming!

PLOT WITHOUT SPOILERS...Struggling to come to grips with the death of her soldier brother, Honor embarks on a journey in his old Impala. Her destination: the farewell concert of her favorite rock star. Her un-planned-for (and perhaps undesired) companion: her brother's childhood best friend and current beer-swilling society drop-out, Rusty. But the place Honor is really trying to reach can't be found on any map.


OF LITERARY INTEREST...There are several things that make this an exceptional road trip novel, not the least of which is the Pala--a car, a character, a metaphor for things worth trying to fix. As in her first novel, Jessi Kirby writes in a very special way about nature, about landscapes whether they're sandy beaches or spiritual mountaintops. Tales of journeys can feel deliberate as characters tick off one stop after another but this narrative feels so natural, so effortless. As you read along, you get a sense that Honor was just meant to be at each place she discovers--to find pieces of her brother, and of herself.

FINALLY, JUST GOTTA SAY...IN HONOR, Jessi Kirby's second novel, is a bittersweetly beautiful and finely crafted jewel. I first read the arc quite awhile ago and so had to reread it to write this post. The second read was even more rewarding than the first. The novel is rich with layers of imagery, twisting and turning as much as the roads Honor and Rusty navigate, exploring one of life's great questions:  Which is more important, the destination... or the journey?

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