The Kept: A Novel by James Scott

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

In the winter of 1897, Elspeth Howell treks across miles of snow and ice to the isolated farmstead in upstate New York where she and her husband have raised their five children. Her midwife’s salary is tucked into the toes of her boots, and her pack is full of gifts for her family. But as she crests the final hill, and sees her darkened house and a smokeless chimney, immediately she knows that an unthinkable crime has destroyed the life she so carefully built.

Her lone comfort is her twelve-year-old son, Caleb, who joins her in mourning the tragedy and planning its reprisal. Their long journey leads them to a rough-hewn lake town, defined by the violence both of its landscape and of its inhabitants. There Caleb is forced into a brutal adulthood, as he slowly discovers truths about his family he never suspected, and Elspeth must confront the terrible urges and unceasing temptations that have haunted her for years. Throughout it all, the love between mother and son serves as the only shield against a merciless world.

A scorching portrait of guilt and lost innocence, atonement and retribution, resilience and sacrifice, pregnant obsession and primal adolescence, The Kept is told with deep compassion and startling originality, and introduces James Scott as a major new literary voice.

my thoughts:

OMFG!!  What a fantastically, gripping story! I found myself wrapped in a blanket and frozen to the corner spot of the couch unable to stop reading.  This book had me from page one and did not let me go until the very end - I was captivated.  And it was thrilling.  Plus, there was so much snow in the book that I was literally and figuratively frozen to my spot on the couch - I swear I got chills from being so cold, whilst I read the book.

The Kept by James Scott is a terrific novel about redemption, truth, and deception.  It is a dark story that will take your breath away with its vivid descriptions, fascinating characters, and powerful storytelling.  I was absolutely shocked by the secrets that were revealed and the lengths that people go to when it comes to getting what they want.  This is a story that I will not soon forget. 

I would like to share details with you about what happens in the book, but I can't.  It would ruin it for you.  This is the type of book that you must read for yourself - it is a haunting, unputdownable read that will just break your heart.  The Kept is grim, unforgiving, and unbelievable in its truths - it is absolutely mesmerizing. 

I would most definitely recommend The Kept by James Scott to fans of fiction, mystery, and dark stories - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Kept

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!