“This novel is set in Sage Meadows, a small town suspiciously like Sisters (okay, it is Sisters, albeit a fictionalized version). Julia is leaving Portland to start a bookstore in the vacation town she’s always dreamed of living in. Accompanied by her two dogs, Frick and Frack, Julia, at 39, is single, childless and feeling a bit lonely and as if life has passed her by. She’s sure that Sage Meadows will be the perfect place to make a new start. But while Julia loves the beauty around her and finds many aspects of the little town charming, she also quickly learns how hard it is to break into the established cliques and how her every move is seen and possibly gossiped about (she ends up in the Sheriff’s Calls column in the newspaper . . .) More ominously, Julia begins to suspect she’s being followed, and may even be in danger. This debut novel by Eugene author Shelley Houston has much to recommend: a well-made plot with surprising turns, engaging characters, a knack for talking about faith without being preachy, and, of course, the local setting! I love how Houston doesn’t idealize life in Sisters, er, Sage Meadows, but shows small-town life with its ups and downs. I hope to read more from this new author.”—Amanda, Paulina Springs Books, with locations in Sisters and Redmond, OR. Buy Julia, Coming Home from Paulina Springs Books.
Face Out
Julia, Coming Home by Shelley Houston
January 30, 2012