“Every Now And Then” by Lesley Kagen – Book Review @AlcovePress @Lesley_Kagen #BacklistReview #EveryNowAndThen

The movie “Stand By Me” was brought to mind whilst reading this novel. Only instead of four boys, it was three eleven year old girls.

It is a hot and sultry summer in the year 1960. A different world indeed. The three best friends spend most summer nights out in their treehouse, their ‘hideout’. Because of this, they are called the ‘Tree Musketeers’. It was a time when children played outdoors unsupervised, a time before cell phones, a time of innocence.

In their small Wisconsin town, there is a converted Victorian house that is now used as a mental institution. Broadhurst intrigues the girls, and they make it their mission to make acquaintance with some of the patients out in the yard. They know that their actions are ones that the adults in their lives would frown upon… yet they persist.

These girls are everything that is good in human nature. Their town, with its racial prejudices and social snobbery does not influence them in any way. They see people as people, regardless of their skin color or mental ability.

In this impactful summer, some sordid and tragic things come to light, in no little way, due to the girls and their inquisitive natures. Although at times naive and misguided, they are curious and courageous girls with good hearts. For in 1960 the mentally ill were often treated barbarically.

The story fluctuates from the innocence of the girls and their supportive community, to the dark and brutal treatment of the patients of Broadhurst. A balance that the author manages skillfully.

Despite, or maybe because of, the dark subjects within the pages of this book, it is more than your standard ‘coming of age’ fiction. It was a thought-provoking read that reminds us that not so many years ago, mental illness and homosexuality were viewed in a vastly different way.

The author absolutely mastered the viewpoint of these eleven year old girls and at times I forgot that it was an adult telling the story. Their altruistic motives end up putting them all in jeopardy, which ends up impacting their entire lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can recommend it without hesitation.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Alcove Press via NetGalley.

Publication date: October 6, 2020
Publisher: Alcove Press

ISBN: 9781643853543   ASIN: ‎ B07Z2TMZGG – 304 pages

This title is from my extensive NetGalley backlist.

Lesley Kagen is an actress, essayist, voice-over talent and restaurateur, as well as the author of several national bestselling novels. She is the mother of two, and grandmother of two.  She lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Visit Lesley Kagen’s website; connect with her on Twitter and/or Instagram.