Hieroglyphics: A Novel by Jill McCorkle

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

about book: (summary from Goodreads)

“Jill McCorkle has long been one of our wryest, warmest, wisest storytellers. In Hieroglyphics, she takes us on through decades, through loss, through redemption, and lands in revelation and grace. As always with McCorkle, the story feels so effortless and true that we might well miss what a high-wire act she’s performing. But make no mistake: She’s up there without a net, she never misses a step, and it’s spectacular.” —Rebecca Makkai, Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Great Believers

Lil and Frank married young, launched into courtship when they bonded over how they both—suddenly, tragically—lost a parent when they were children. Over time, their marriage grew and strengthened, with each still wishing for so much more understanding of the parents they’d lost prematurely.

Now, after many years in Boston, they have retired in North Carolina. There, Lil, determined to leave a history for their children, sifts through letters and notes and diary entries—perhaps revealing more secrets than Frank wants their children to know. Meanwhile, Frank has become obsessed with what might have been left behind at the house he lived in as a boy on the outskirts of town, where a young single mother, Shelley, is just trying to raise her son with some sense of normalcy. Frank’s repeated visits to Shelley’s house begin to trigger memories of her own family, memories that she’d rather forget. Because, after all, not all parents are ones you wish to remember.

Hieroglyphics reveals the difficulty of ever really knowing the intentions and dreams and secrets of the people who raised you. In her deeply layered and masterful novel, Jill McCorkle deconstructs and reconstructs what it means to be a father or a mother, and what it means to be a child piecing together the world all around us, a child learning to make sense of the hieroglyphics of history and memory.

my thoughts:

Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle is amazing! What a story! I absolutely LOVED Hieroglyphics!

Lil and Frank have been married for ages. They met when they were young and found themselves connecting over the fact that they had each lost a parent as children.  They have grown to love each other immensely, but find themselves with a longing for answers.  They want to know their parents - like, why were they the way they were? Or, who were they as people, not as their parents? And so, the two go about figuring out their own parents via different avenues. Lil goes through letters, notes, and diaries; while Frank resists the house he grew up in when he was little. The house is now lived in by a woman named Shelley and her son, Harvey.  Frank's visits to the house stir up memories for Shelley that has tried to forget. Soon, these four people have found themselves connecting in ways they never could have imagined. And, they each discover things about their parents they wish they hadn't. Talk about secrets!

McCorkle has written a terrific story about family, memories, relationships, growing up, and parenthood. The characters are flawed and relatable. The storylines are intriguing and unforgettable. And the writing is top notch. This is one book you won't want to miss out on! I would happily recommend Hieroglyphics to fans of McCorkle and to anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book to bits!

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