Natalee Caple

There is a certain beauty created when a collection of facts is taken and made into a work of fiction. Yes, the dates and places need to be included but to be able to understand the emotions of the characters involved and then to craft all that information into a narrative is a wonderful gift to have. And Natalee Caple has proved she has that gift with her novel In Calamity's Wake.

http://wp.me/p46Ewj-Kg

okay, so i liked the novel... but i didn't love it. i had trouble connecting emotionally to the characters and story, which proved troubling because it is an emotional journey miette (the main character) is undertaking in the search for her mother (calamity jane). caple is clearly gifted with language, and at moments her experience and talent as a poet were quite evident. again, though, my appreciation was kept on the surface - i really had hoped this to be a story that would suck me right show more in. each chapter, told from alternating perspectives, felt like a little vignette, but the flow didn't quite come together for me on the whole. the idea for this novel is hugely interesting, and the characters were creative. i just wish i felt more invested, and had come away loving the book, instead of just liking it. (if that makes sense?)

pre-read update, 31 july 13:

Natalee Caple: "In Calamity’s Wake became the book I wrote because I couldn’t save my cousin Heather’s life. So I wrote her into fiction, hoping that my daughter and my son would one day encounter her there and see her the way I needed her to be seen, as heroic and immortal."

i just read this, over on 49th shelf, and had a little cry.

i have this book scheduled for reading very soon and this piece has made the book more important for caple's personal and emotional reasons for writing the novel.

thank you, natalee!! show less