Sing In The Morning, Cry at NIght

Sing In The Morning, Cry At Night by Barbara J. Taylor

Grief visits Grace again that day, just like he did twenty years ago when her father committed suicide. He never really leaves, just waits silently for the perfect time to surface again, taunting her this time with the horrific memory of the day her precious daughter, Daisy, died. It was supposed to be a memorable Fourth of July celebration, complete with a special surprise from her husband, Owen, for his two extraordinary daughters. Instead, a terrible accident involving fireworks propels a family into a dark abyss of sorrow and heartache that threatens their very existence. And once again, that old imaginary friend, Grief, returns in all his glory to torment Grace in ways she could never imagine.

The story takes place in the early 1900s in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the heart of coal-mining country. Owen Morgan labors daily in a dangerous, tedious job to put food on the table for his family. When tragedy strikes, he begins to realize that his family is torn beyond repair. Grace secretly blames her other daughter, Violet, for the accident as does everyone in town. Owen turns to drink, abandoning his family, unable to cope with life's injustice.

It is young Violet who perseveres through the hurt and misery. She meets scrawny Stanley Adamski and together they forge a friendship that becomes the anchor she needs to withstand the events that will ultimately shape the future.When a debilitating snowstorm tests every ounce of strength she has, Violet becomes her own mother's savior.

Based on true events in the author's life, this novel certainly is one worth reading. She accurately and forcefully describes the life of a coal miner, complete with the loneliness and imminent fear they face every day deep underground. You will empathize with the despair and hopelessness of losing a child. You will rally around a child that is forced to become an adult when those around her cannot cope with loss. And you will cheer a mother who has the strength to overcome Grief. In the end it is a story of survival.

Interspersed with compelling descriptions of religious tent revivals and verses from old church hymns, Barbara Taylor takes you back to a place and time that truly existed in coal mining communities. She manages to develop many minor characters along the way that play a pivotal role in the plot often with a touch of humor. This first time author writes with emotion and heart, of never looking back, only looking to what lies ahead.

"You can relive a moment again and again and again. But you can't change it. That's the tragedy of time".