Wendee's recommendation:

As a reader I often worry that an author's second book won't achieve as much as her first. I loved Broken for You, so it was with some trepidation that I picked up Stephanie Kallos' new book, Sing Them Home. If you have any concerns about this second literary effort, put them away instantly. Find yourself a comfortable reading spot, and don't waste a minute getting started. This is a beautifully-crafted book-the kind that tells you instantly that you're in good hands, and that you can settle back and enjoy!

The novel opens 25 years after Hope Jones, mother of three and devoted wife, has been swept away by a tornado in her small Welsh hometown of Emlyn Springs, never to be found. Her three children have grown, but each struggles with the attendant issues of their mother's mysterious departure. The oldest is daughter Larken, a successful college professor of art history who suffers phobias of her own. Son Gaelen is a television weatherman addicted to physical exercise and women. And the third child is Bonnie, who stays in Emlyn Springs repairing bicycles and gathering bits and pieces of relics found along the roadside.

Throughout the poignant narrative, Kallos weaves in excerpts from Hope's diary in which we learn of her miscarriages, chronic disease, and hopes and dreams for her children. This device propels the story, providing depth and insight to the characters.

Sing Them Home has been correctly described as lyrical. It is a tour de force for Kallos, a Seattle author. The book's ending is magical, and thoroughly satisfying. I cared deeply about the characters, and found it nearly impossible to set this book down.