The San Clemente Bait Shop and Telephony

I have a confession to make. I'm guilty of putting Patti Hill in a box. Her first three novels (The Garden Gates Series) were amazing. I wanted to live next door to the main character. I wanted to go out for coffee with Mibby! Her 4th book was set during WWII (Goodness and Mercy). There wasn't any Mibby, but still loved the characters and wanted to be able to talk to them and help them. Her 5th book got a little farther from Mibby (The Queen of Sleepy Eye). The daughter is the sensible one trying to "raise" her mother. I loved every character and lost sleep until I got to the end of the book. Her 6th book is the one that really threw me for a loop (Seeing Things). I was gobsmacked (utterly astounded)! I'm used to the characters being sensible. But here was Birdie not only seeing things, but Huckleberry Finn was talking to her! Couldn't wrap my mind around it. It didn't fit into the box I'd put all of Patti's books into. Was he really there or not? So when I started hearing about this book and realized that it was going to break out the sides of that box I told myself I just had to go with it. Jenna isn't like most main characters I've fallen in love with. She has issues, major issues! She does things that just plain aren't right! She had a very rough childhood which has beaten her down so badly that she feels worthless. Then there's the whole concept of the telephony! Where did that come from? Phones ringing that only specific people can hear? Talking to people from another time? Yet it's perfectly woven into the story in such a way to make it totally believable! It makes your thoughts turn to who YOU'D want to have call you? So no more boxes for Patti! She's proven over and over again that she cannot be contained in a certain genre or predictability. Get ready for a wild ride! It's going to be so hard to wait and see what she has in store for her readers in the future! Whatever it is, it will be amazing, it will be unique, and there won't be a box in sight!

As a long-time fan of author Patti Hill, especially her Garden Gate series, I was excited to read her latest novel but totally unprepared for the fascinating mix of complex characters, achingly true-to-life situations, believable fantasy (akin to an old-fashioned Twilight Zone episode), and deep emotions. She truly has outdone herself in The San Clemente Bait Shop and Telephony.Her main character, Jenna, was at first unrelatable to (goody-two-shoes) me, until I realized that many of Jenna's impetuous, self-involved, and unwise actions were things I had considered doing and probably would have, under different circumstances. To say we are taken on a journey of self-discovery with Jenna sounds trite; this novel is anything but. We live life along with Jenna over a period of months as she experiences the pain of family dysfunction, unwise choices in love, and the mystery of a younger sibling's disappearance, for which she blames herself. Every character—her parents, her friends, her old and new loves, her missing brother, the old man who may hold the key to solving the mystery—is drawn with skillful brush strokes by Patti Hill's artistry in prose. Jenna's "journey" is one of growth, change, and hope, if not outright joy.There is a subtle Christian message in this book, but no preaching; rather, a gentle call to prayer and belief, if one so chooses.I finished the book just moments ago profoundly touched, moved, and eager to read Patti Hill's next work.(I paid full price for The San Clemente Bait Shop & Telephony. Money VERY well spent!)

Author Patti Hill’s latest book, The San Clemente Bait Shop and Telephony, is a good read. Here is why. Ms. Hill continues to increase the depth and complexity of her characters while still retaining the humor and warmth characteristic of her previous books. Having read all of Ms. Hill’s books I observed her increasing skill in creating relatable characters -- people we know in our own lives. Each character has a backstory providing deep yearning to redo the past and change the future while figuring out how to get by in the present. Ms. Hill also adds some whimsy and magic to bring hope for a new start. However, do not think the magic of “Telephony” provides easy answers. The characters use their own skills and burgeoning faith to redirect their lives. Life is hard, yet in the midst of the hard there is humor and hope. Reading The San Clemente Bait Shop and Telephony I once again found a satisfying ending to a great story. Ms. Hill is a writer worth following, because her books lead to a deeper understanding of our own situation and the Hope that is always present for each of us.

Patti Hill transports the reader to another time and place with this novel. A family splintered with a missing child struggles with their own guilt for almost two decades. The main character befriends many others through the mystery of the telephony as she seeks to find her lost brother while her parents fight the past in extremes of their own.This book will make you laugh, cry, and make you wonder about connections from the past. When is the right time to move on from the past? If you could relive the past, what would you do differently?

What is a "Telephony?" I pondered, as I began my adventure with Jenna. I wondered if I was ignorant or what? Patti Hill captures the essence of a young, confused woman, trying to get pieces of her life to make sense including this "Telephony." Jenna drew me into her thoughts, prayers, concerns, actions, relationships, and led me on quite an adventure to some unlikely places. I'm guessing, like me, you can find a bit of yourself in Jenna and perhaps get some encouragement too! Dive in to this little treasure of a novel...

One of my favorite authors. Love her books.