![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/TheChange.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1\")
By Kirsten Miller\nWilliam Morrow, Publisher
\nASIN: B09DGFV64D
\nKindle version, file size 3797 KB; \u00a9 2022
\nPaperback, 475 pages; \u00a9 2023 (Reissue Edition)\n
<\/p>By Kirsten Miller
\nWilliam Morrow, Publisher
\nASIN: B09DGFV64D
\nKindle version, file size 3797 KB; \u00a9 2022
\nPaperback, 475 pages; \u00a9 2023 (Reissue Edition)\n
Jo\u2019s hot flashes come with white-hot rage that she channels by working out. Nessa\u2019s Change came with the Sight. Harriett left her monthly cycles in her rearview mirror, along with caring what anyone in town thought about her house, her yard, or her lifestyle. When Nessa sees the ghost of a young girl, and knows where her body can be found, she also knows she\u2019ll need a very special kind of help to bring peace to the girl\u2019s spirit. The kind of help only Jo and Harriett can give. Working together to identify the girl, find her family, and set her to rest, the three friends uncover a much deeper pit than they\u2019d expected, setting events in motion that will change their small community\u2014as well as themselves\u2014forever.<\/p>\n
The Change<\/em> is a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, and I can see why. The plot of the girl\u2019s murder is only the opening gambit in a much larger story, and while I followed that thread from the edge of my seat, it was the characters that really pulled me in. Each of their stories is revealed slowly over the course of the novel. Each unveiled layer made them more real, and I loved them more with every turned page. While there are some supernatural\/mystical elements to the story that transcend real life (at least, for most of us), overall I could absolutely relate to each of the characters. I understood their motivations, their outrage, their cries for justice, and was cheering them on every step of the way.<\/p>\n The book is classified as women\u2019s fiction, but even if it were not I would call it that\u2014not just because it\u2019s a tale women will likely love, but because its storyline is strongly tied to blood mysteries. Menstrual cycles and related problems, menopause, hot flashes and their accompanying extreme mood swings are certainly in there, but it\u2019s more than that. The story highlights the effects on women of chauvinism, mistreatment, disregard, and belittlement by society (especially rich and\/or powerful men). More than once, I read a scene that reminded me of memories from my own youth in a Deep South small town. While the names and locations may have been different, the treatment was the same, or so similar it was indistinguishable to me.<\/p>\n In addition, beyond the supernatural elements that come with their Change, as a post-menopausal woman, I found a lot in here I could relate to. Not just the physical elements that are common to all women, though there are plenty of those, too. So much of society dismisses aging women; we are older, heavier, grey-haired, not so \u201cfresh.\u201d Rather than see the value in that, we are often dismissed, turned away, and relegated to the past. Yet aging women are just as\u2014if not more\u2014powerful than our younger sisters, because we see things more clearly, recognize things sooner than we would have at a younger age, care less what other people think of us. Jo, Nessa, and Harriett are all experiencing these things throughout the story, finding their new balance, and learning to live with the results. Reading how these three characters take back their own power was a joy.<\/p>\n Many of these women\u2019s issues are critical to the plot either because they contribute to the mystery the friends are trying to solve, or because they are steppingstones to the characters\u2019 growth along the way.<\/p>\n Do note that there may be triggers within the scenes. While none of it happens on the page, there is a strong thematic element of sexual assault, as well as murder. There were a few times where I had to put the book down for a while. But I always picked it up again because the characters\u2019 stories were stronger for me than the triggers.<\/p>\n Regardless of your gender, there\u2019s a lot to love here. Most highly recommended.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Kirsten Miller William Morrow, Publisher ASIN: B09DGFV64D Kindle version, file size 3797 KB; \u00a9 2022 Paperback, 475 pages; \u00a9 2023 (Reissue Edition) Jo\u2019s hot flashes come with white-hot rage that she channels by working out. Nessa\u2019s Change came with the Sight. Harriett left her monthly cycles in her rearview mirror, along with caring what…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-ZM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1026,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/03\/boost-the-power-shifting-perspective-in-a-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":3830,"position":0},"title":"Boost the Power: Shifting Perspective in a Story","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"September 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that the Pitch Wars submission window has closed and the pressure is eased a bit, I\u2019ve turned my attention to other projects. 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