Carousel Beach

May 15, 2018

Artist Maya Brice has always felt closer to her free-spirited grandmother than to her stuffy mother and enjoyed their time spent at a gorgeous old carousel in the park. But when Maya loses her unborn baby and her grandmother in the same short time period, she's shattered, and her relationship with her husband, Vale, suffers. She becomes fully absorbed in the restoration of the carousel for its grand Fourth of July reopening. Then a chance encounter with old flame Simon, a doctor at a local nursing home, leads Maya to meet 90-year-old Hank Hauser, the original carver of the carousel. As Hank's Alzheimer's progresses, he begins to mistake Maya for her grandmother, revealing long-kept secrets, raising plenty of questions for Maya. Why did he carve her Grandma's name into the most beautiful horse on the carousel? Can Maya find a way to move forward with Vale and her distant mother? Maya tries to heal herself as she brings the carousel horses back to life with each brushstroke. VERDICT Konig's second novel (after The Distance Home) offers a heartfelt family drama that spans three generations.--Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

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