About the Book ~
Thirteen-year-old Loyal Raines is supposed to stay close to home on a hot summer day in 1934. When he slips away for a quick swim in the river and finds a dead body, he wishes he'd obeyed his mother. Desperate for help, he runs to the mountain cabin of his mostly absentee father, frantically trying to communicate the news with his hands.
Driven away by fear and guilt over his son's deafness, Creed has played a distant part in Loyal's life and language. But when he's pulled into the murder investigation, he discovers that what sets his son apart isn't his inability to hear but rather his courage. As the impact of the murder ripples through their West Virginia town, both will learn what it took to kill a man and what it takes to become one.
For more information about Sarah Loudin Thomas and her books, check out her website here!
My Thoughts ~
The Right Kind of Fool by Sarah Loudin Thomas will startle readers with the quiet intensity of its profound message of hope!
The Right Kind of Fool is an adventure from start to finish! The story follows the three different members of the Raines family. What is possibly the most surprising and the most true to life quality of the story is that it contains a little of everything -- a coming-of-age story in Loyal, a second chance romance in Creed and Delphy's reconciliation, a murder mystery, a stirring historical setting, and an emotive, sensitive look at being deaf and learning ASL in the 1930s. While I can't say the conclusion to the mystery shocked me, I was satisfied with how it ended. Furthermore, I found the differences, similarities, and changes in the investigative process then versus now to be very interesting. However, I was particularly invested in Loyal's struggles and triumphs in addition to Creed and Delphy's reconciliation as these storylines abounded in quietly convicting truths that blossomed into profound messages of hope!
The title is an apt description of the personal journeys of growth on which the Raines family embarks. Loyal, Creed, and even Delphy discover that you can be a fool for a lot of bad reasons, but being a fool for the right reasons is an entirely different -- and altogether beautiful! -- thing! Very rewarding!
Four Stars ~ The Right Kind of Fool by Sarah Loudin Thomas possesses a quiet, simple beauty in a story overflowing with convicting lessons! The Right Kind of Fool is a standalone, but the author has other books in her backlist for readers to enjoy!
Thanks for such a thoughtful review!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! Thank you for such a beautiful story!
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