Sing Them Home

Kallos's second novel is rife with opportunities for the audio narrator, and Tavia Gilbert takes full advantage. There's the persona of MS-ridden Hope, who disappeared in a Nebraska tornado years ago but whose diary entries punctuate the story. Her three children develop into a womanizing TV weatherman, a compulsive art professor, and a young woman who does odd jobs and is dying to have a baby. They become distinct personalities, thanks to Gilbert's expert characterizations. Then there's the small, mostly Welsh, town with a personality of its own. In clear and impeccable diction, Gilbert recounts kiddie beauty pageants, fancy egg festivals, and week-long funerals. Getting into this may take a bit, but Gilbert will hook listeners. And she gets to sing in Welsh! J.B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from September 1, 2008
Kallos's (Broken for You
) enthralling second novel takes the reader by storm as Hope Jones, Nebraska mother of three, is whisked away by a 1978 tornado, her body never found. The novel opens 25 years later, when Hope's children—grown but not grown up—gather for their father's funeral after he's killed by a lightning strike. Llewelyn's death is one of many quandaries haunting his children: daughter Larken, an overweight professor beset by fear of flying; son Gaelan, a television weatherman with too many women in his life; and the youngest, Bonnie, who stays in Emlyn Springs working odd jobs. Alvina “Viney” Closs, Hope's best friend, also has issues to resolve. Themes of family bonds and conflicts, secrets and sorrows also marked Kallos's debut, and this time she weaves in an idiosyncratic view of the role of the dead in the lives of the living, sharp takes on business, academic and sexual politics, and a palpable empathy for small Midwestern towns. This novel will find a welcome audience in anyone who has experienced grief, struggled with family ties or, most importantly, appreciates blossoming talent.

January 26, 2009
Kallos's second novel tells the story of the three Jones children, Larken, Gaelen and Bonnie, as they try to come to terms with their mother's mysterious death after she is swallowed up by a tornado that touched down in their small town in Nebraska. The children must live their life under the microscope of the townspeople's collective interest while trying to create their own life and legacy and distance themselves from their mother's death. Tavia Gilbert brings additional vibrancy to Kallos's original and affecting novel. Gilbert manages to capture the underlying melancholy of the novel while creating complex and believable characters. With a compelling stage presence, she brings this story to life with an inspired reading that demonstrates her performance ability and creative sensibility. A Grove/Atlantic hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 1).