Small Secrets

Life is not as orderly as it seems amidst the soybean fields of 1970s Minnesota. Farm girl Raki Pederson finds that out the hard way. Homeless, cast out by her family, carrying a baby and a heavy secret, she redeems her life through the kindness of strangers. There’s the hapless pastor, Sam, followed by a succession of women, each with her own dark secret: Margaret, guilt-ridden from her sister’s death; Carol, a feminist Robin Hood; and Mrs. Anderson, who did the ‘right thing’ only to regret it the rest of her life. Now a successful middle-aged businesswoman, Raki returns to her hometown upon the death of her mentor, Dolores Richter. Concerned that Miss Richter hid the deepest secret of all, Raki seeks the truth and in so doing gains the courage to reveal her own. Set in a time of social, sexual and political upheaval, Small Secrets is an age-old tale of shame and sacrifice, abandonment and rescue, betrayal and forgiveness. I loved this cast of believable, likable characters who populate a complex plot that slowly reveals the grace and beauty - as well as the restrictions and limitations - of small town life in decades not long past. An ideal book group choice Dona Chilcoat, M.A., Bookseller I picked it up one Sunday morning and finished by bedtime. The mystery of the secret, memories of the Sixties and Seventies, a fascinating cast of characters - how could I put it down? Betty Boyd, The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Colorado Chapter