Rating: 4/5 stars.
I’ve been in a bit of a book slump in 2021. I’ve started a lot of books that have bored me to death, so I haven’t finished that many. I’ve decided that if I get to a certain point in a book and I’m having to beg myself to keep reading, then it is okay for me to put the book down… which takes a lot for me because I don’t like not finishing books. But life is too short for bad books.
Anyway, Ask Again, Yes pulled me out of my book slump. What a story. It wasn’t the happiest of books, but it was so beautifully written. I really didn’t read too much about what this book’s storyline was beforehand which made me love it more. For some reason, I thought it would be about this friendship between two cops and the relationship between their children and well… that’s not exactly the turn it took.
This book talked about mental health and alcoholism and how alcoholism most certainly can run in families and ruin families without proper treatment. Ask Again, Yes touches on the power of forgiveness, even many years later. I loved how many years this book spans and how many different characters were at play that we really got to know. A lot of times the creative writing minor in me feels disappointed in a book’s character development, but Mary Beth Keane did not fall flat when it came to delivering believable and intricate characters.
It’s hard not to want to talk about more, but I don’t want to give anything away! The first few chapters were hard for me to get through, but after that I couldn’t put this book down. I probably would’ve given 5 stars, but I didn’t love the ending. Otherwise, really fantastic read.
Mary Spencer Veazey 