A GREEN VELVET SECRET

When a woman finds out she has terminal cancer, she embraces her fate with equanimity but tries to make sure her granddaughter will flourish after her death.

Gidge is a major force in Yardley’s life. She’s a former hippie who teaches Yardley to be the wild child she’s meant to be, accept others as they are, and, when troubles come up, leave them at the Pit of Despair, a gravel quarry where she likes to sit and reflect. As Gidge prepares for what is to come, she encourages 12-year-old Yardley to make friends her own age and use her talents helping out at the vintage store they frequent together. Gidge also has a personal goal no one in her family is aware of, something she hopes to accomplish before she leaves this Earth with a doctor’s assistance, and it leads to a mystery for Yardley to explore. There’s heart and hope in this slightly zany book that sensitively deals with death and grief. Yardley looks for Gidge everywhere, convinced that her spirit will come back and find her in another form. Yardley’s sense of loss is acute, and the path toward healing after Gidge’s passing is anything but straight. Characters are cued as White.

This unusual, heartfelt novel illustrates the grieving process in all its messy and emotional stages.