Fiction Review

In Mother’s Hands
By Colleen Avelli
ISBN 1424100968
Review by Heather Froeschl

How long does it take for us to find our soul mate? How many lifetimes do we actually spend together? How can we truly know when our spirit’s other half has re-entered our lives? These unexpected questions are answered in Colleen Avelli’s book, “In Mother’s Hands.”

Our understanding of the main character, Susan, begins in her childhood. Losing her mother at a tender age had a huge impact on her life. It is fair to say that she became who she is through the circumstances that evolved because of her mother’s death. Her deep relationship with her brother, her turbulent relationship with her father, and her every relationship thereafter, all were affected by her loss. Discovering who Susan is lends understanding to the story as it unfolds. Susan will join the Peace Corps and discover her destiny. Her connection to the people she stays with in South America is powerful. There is a purpose to her being there that only the wise ones are aware of. Susan will soon understand that she has been brought to this place by an ancient pull that her spirit feels. Will it be enough to save her?

Colleen Avelli tells a tale of deep emotion, vivid imagery, and the pure bliss of following one’s heart. Her characters are full of life, demonstrating passions and sadness alike. Her settings are bursting with nature in all of its glory, eliciting moments of breathing in the moist river-misted air. In a plot that evokes thoughts of pursuing dreams and the unconditional love of parents, Avelli also opens the doors to mystic circumstance, the power of purposeful thought, and having faith in the unknown. “In Mother’s Hands” is a positively delightful read.