Big Lies in a Small Town

by Diane Chamberlain

For me, Diane Chamberlain’s latest release has it all- small-town ambience, big mystery, fascinating depictions of art restoration and lyrical writing. 

When you curl up to read this book, warn your family you won’t be seeing them for awhile!

Praise for Diane Chamberlain and Big Lies in a Small Town: 

“Chamberlain’s depictions of creative beauty and perseverance across time and in the face of inevitable obstacles will keep readers turning the pages.”―Publishers Weekly on Big Lies in a Small Town

“Chamberlain’s writing is reminiscent of a quilt made up of pieces from different people, places, and times, stitched together into a single, emotional story.”―Booklist on Big Lies in a Small Town

JENA’S REVIEW

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the best parts of reading is finding a book that shows and teaches you something new. This lyrical and evocative book brings to the reader the world of art: painting, the creation of a mural, and the field of art restoration. I so enjoyed learning how artists think and create. And even, more I was swept away by the powerful story of Anna Dale and Morgan Christopher.

The story is based on a New Deal Public Works of Art Project called the 48 State Mural Competition. During the Depression, artists competed to paint a mural for a post office, one in each of the 48 states. This book has a dual timeline, and we meet artist Anna Dale in 1939. She has been chosen as an artist and assigned to create a mural for the post office in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina. She is young and talented, but grew up New Jersey, and is thus a “furriner” when she comes to the south to create her mural.

Morgan Christopher tells us her story in the present day. She is also a young adult, and she wants to be an artist, although her life has fallen off the rails. She comes to Edenton at the behest of a famous African American artist, Jesse Williams, for a mysterious reason. What is striking about the beginning of story, is that Anna and Morgan lived such parallel lives. We see Anna walking down the Main Street of Edenton in 1939, filled with hope and concern, and then we see Morgan walking the same streets with equal problems. We learn how Anna created her her mural, how she researched to chose the images she would paint, and the fascinating way that a large mural is created. We also see how Morgan learned to restore the same mural almost 80 years later.

In addition to the main characters, many other wonderful people inhabit this book. The townspeople of both eras, some delightful, some hideous, some caring and some crude, are all well-drawn and compelling to read about. Like a painting, there are many layers and shades of mystery in this book and I know you will find it hard to stop reading. There are also layers of issues that are interesting to read about from a perspective of 1939 and the present: race relations, abuse, and mental illness.

But most of all, this is a book about restoration: of the mural, but also the lives of Anna and Morgan. Sometimes it’s a big event, some times an act of bravery, and sometimes it’s love, but lives can be restored.

I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.

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Biography

Diane Chamberlain is the New York Times, USA Today and (London) Sunday Times best-selling author of 27 novels. The daughter of a school principal who supplied her with a new book almost daily, Diane quickly learned the emotional power of story. Although she wrote many small “books” as a child, she didn’t seriously turn to writing fiction until her early thirties when she was waiting for a delayed doctor’s appointment with nothing more than a pad, a pen, and an idea. She was instantly hooked. 

Diane was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and lived for many years in both San Diego and northern Virginia. She received her master’s degree in clinical social work from San Diego State University. Prior to her writing career, she was a hospital social worker in both San Diego and Washington, D.C, and a psychotherapist in private practice in Alexandria, Virginia, working primarily with adolescents. 

More than two decades ago, Diane was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which changed the way she works: She wrote two novels using voice recognition software before new medication allowed her to get back to typing. She feels fortunate that her arthritis is not more severe and that she’s able to enjoy everyday activities as well as keep up with a busy travel schedule.

Diane lives in North Carolina with her significant other, photographer John Pagliuca, and their odd but lovable Shetland Sheepdog, Cole. 

Please visit Diane’s website at www.dianechamberlain.com for her event schedule and for more information on her newest novel, Big Lies in a Small Town, as well as a complete list of her books.