The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard

“What most compels is the observant Kirsten’s account of how a small town and a family disintegrate under the weight of the tragedy. Tautly written and beautifully evocative, The Mourning Hours is a gripping portrayal of a family straining against extraordinary pressure, and a powerful tale of loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Now, years later, a new tragedy forces Kirsten and her siblings to return home, where they must confront the devastating event that shifted the trajectory of their lives. No one knows what to believe-not even those closest to Johnny-but the event unhinges the quiet farming community and pins Kirsten's family beneath the crushing weight of suspicion. The Mourning Hours is a gripping portrayal of a family straining against extraordinary pressure, and a powerful tale of loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness. Kirsten was just nine years old when Stacy Lemke went missing, and the last person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Johnny-the high school wrestling star and Kirsten's older brother. Read a sample Read a sample Description Details Reviews A familys loyalty is. Kirsten Hammarstrom hasn't been home to her tiny corner of rural Wisconsin in years-not since the mysterious disappearance of a local teenage girl rocked the town and shattered her family. in English from Dordt College.A family's loyalty is put to the ultimate test in this haunting and unforgettable debut. Paula Treick DeBoard is the author of The Mourning Hours.

Instead, he finds himself inspired to take justice into his own hands, and the road trip to murder Saenz begins. Though he tries to bury his feelings about this news, things come to a head as he stands, paralyzed with grief, on the roof of the school, and everyone, including his daughter, thinks he will jump. His anger reaches a boiling point when the man who killed his son is let out of prison. He can’t function at the school where he teaches, which Olivia attends, because his mind is increasingly tormented with vengeful thoughts.

In the aftermath of that tragic phone call, Curtis grows more and more secluded, pushing his wife away until she cannot bear the isolation any longer and leaves her family to start a new life in her hometown.Ĭurtis has one thing on his mind: revenge against Robert Saenz, man who killed his son. Daniel’s unexpected death affects Curtis, Olivia, and Kathleen in different ways. The police are telling him his son-his genius, bright, talented son, Daniel–has died in a “freak accident.” Suddenly, the Kaufman’s happy, loving family will never be the same. In The Fragile World, Curtis Kaufman picks up the midnight phone call with his wife, Kathleen, by his side and his daughter, Olivia, listening in the shadows.

The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard