THE BANNED BOOKS CLUB
Author: Brenda Novak
Publication Date: September 17,
2024
ISBN: 9780778369592
Format: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Harlequin Trade
Publishing / MIRA
Price $18.99
Gia Rossi was considered a bit of a rebel in her small hometown of
Wakefield, Iowa ever since she challenged the gaggle of well-meaning but
misguided women from the PTA who’d insisted the high school English department,
drop a number of "controversial" titles from the reading list. Gia
had expected her favorite teacher to stand up for the books she loved by
explaining why they were so important. Instead, just to avoid a fight, he’d
caved in immediately, which was what had incited her to start The Banned Books
Club.
That was the first time Mr. Hart had let her down, but it wouldn’t be
the last. Because of him she left her hometown when she turned eighteen and
graduated. But now, with her sister begging her to return home due to their
mother's failing health, Gia will come face to face with the beloved teacher
who was fired after she reported him for sexual misconduct. Gia's return has
the town divided between those who believe her and those who believe she ruined
Mr. Hart's life. Even members of her beloved book club--who've continued to
meet virtually over the years--aren't sure who to believe.
Gia's homecoming dredges up a lot of pain from her past. Her
relationship with her sister has always been strained but there's no denying
that Margot has taken on the burden of caring for their mother and now it's
Gia's turn to help. She's grateful to have the time with her mother and to come
to terms with what happened to her in high school. What she doesn't expect is
for her sister to use Gia's arrival as the opportunity to pack up her kids and
leave town to escape her emotionally abusive husband. With the support of an
unlikely ally, Gia is able to prove that Mr. Hart really was to blame for his
own downfall, supports her mother and her sister when they need her most and
finds love and a future in the town she thought rejected her.
Buy Links:
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“Wait…you’re not still running that book club you started in
high school, are you?”
Gia Rossi had been shopping at her local grocer when her
sister called. “I’ve never really stopped. Not completely.” She switched her
phone to her other ear, so she could use her more dexterous left hand to steer
her empty shopping cart across the parking lot to the reclamation point.
“Most of the members weren’t your friends. They were just
people who blindly followed you no matter what you did,” her sister pointed out
drily.
Was there a hint of jealousy in that response? Margaret,
who’d been known as Maggie when they were kids but now called herself a more
distinguished Margot, was only thirteen months younger than Gia, so just one
year behind her in school. Margot hadn’t been nearly as popular—but it was
because she’d never done anything exciting. She’d been part of the academic
group, too busy excelling to be going out having fun.
“A few of them were close friends,” Gia insisted. “Ruth,
Sammie and a handful of others are still in the book club with me, and we
rotate picking a read.”
“Seriously? It’s been seventeen years since you
graduated. I thought you left them and everything else behind when you dropped
out of college and took off for Alaska.”
Her sister never would’ve done something that reckless, that
impulsive—or that ill-advised. Gia had walked away from a volleyball
scholarship at the University of Iowa, which was part of the reason her family
had freaked out. But she was glad she’d made that decision. She treasured the
memories of freewheeling her way through life in her twenties, learning
everything she could while working on crabbing and fishing boats and for
various sightseeing companies. She wouldn’t have the business she owned now,
with a partner, if not for that experience. “No. We fell off for a bit, then we
went back to it, then we fell off again, and now we meet on Zoom to discuss the
book we’re reading on the fourth Thursday of every month.” She lowered her
voice for emphasis. “And, of course, we make sure it’s the most scandalous book
we can find.”
Margot had never approved of the book group or anything else
Gia did—and that hadn’t changed over the years, which was why Gia couldn’t
resist needling her.
“I’m sure you do,” Margot said, but she didn’t react beyond
a slightly sour tone. She’d grown adept at avoiding the kind of arguments that
used to flare up between them, despite Gia sometimes baiting her. “So seven or
eight out of what…about sixty are active again?”
“For one month out of the year, the ratio’s quite a bit
better than that,” she said as the shopping cart clanged home, making her feel
secure enough to walk away from it. “The rest of the group gets together for an
online Christmas party in December.”
“How many people come to that?”
Margot sounded as if she felt left out, but she’d never
shown any interest in the book group. “Probably fifteen or twenty, but it’s not
always the same fifteen or twenty.” She opened the door to her red Tesla Model
3, which signaled the computer to start the heater—something she was grateful
for since she hadn’t worn a heavy enough coat for the brisk October morning.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, didn’t usually turn this cold until November or December.
The car’s Bluetooth picked up the call as Margot asked, “Why
haven’t you ever mentioned it?”
Now that they lived thirteen hundred miles apart, there were
a lot of things she didn’t tell her sister. It wasn’t until she’d left her
hometown behind that she’d felt she could live a truly authentic life—one
without the constant unfavorable comparisons to her “perfect” sibling.
But that wasn’t why she hadn’t mentioned the book group.
She’d assumed her sister wouldn’t want to hear about it. Margot had been
mortified when Gia challenged the gaggle of well-meaning but misguided women
from the PTA who’d descended on Room 23 on Back-to-School Night, insisting Mr.
Hart, head of the English department, drop The Catcher in the Rye, The
Outsiders and The Handmaid’s Tale from the Honors English reading
list. Gia had expected her favorite teacher to stand up for the books she loved
by explaining why they were so important. She’d known how much he’d loved those
books, too. Instead, just to avoid a fight, he’d caved in immediately, which
was what had incited her to start a club that championed the books they’d
targeted—as well as others.
That was the first time Mr. Hart had let her down, but it
wouldn’t be the last. “If you’d ever joined the club, you’d be on the email
list,” she said as she backed out of the parking space.
“I would’ve, but you know me. I don’t really read.”
Her sister would not have joined. The Banned Books Club was
far too controversial for Margot. It would’ve required a bit of
rebellion—something she seemed incapable of. And maybe she didn’t read much fiction,
but Gia knew her to consume the occasional self-help tome. That was probably
how she reassured herself she was still the best person she knew, because if
there was anyone who didn’t need a self-help book, it was Margot. Their
parents’ expectations were more than enough to create her boundaries.
“You should try reading along with us now and then. It might
broaden your horizons.” As good as Margot was, she had a mind like a steel
trap—one that was always closed, especially when faced with any information
that challenged what she already believed. She lived inside a bubble of
confirmation bias; the only facts and ideas that could permeate it were those
that supported her world view.
“I’m happy with my horizons being right where they are,
thank you.”
“You don’t see the limitations?”
“Are you trying to offend me?” she asked.
Gia bit back a sigh. That was the difference between them.
Margot would sacrifice anything to maintain her position as their parents’
favorite child, to gain the approval of others, especially her husband, and be
admired by the community at large. Growing up, she’d kept her room tidy, gotten
straight As and played the piano in church. And these days, she was a
stay-at-home mom with two children, someone who made a “hot dish”—what most
people outside the Midwest would call a casserole—for any neighbor, friend or
acquaintance who might be having surgery or suffering some kind of setback.
Her conventionalism was—in certain ways—something to be
admired. As the black sheep of the family, Gia knew better than to try to
compete with Margot. That wasn’t possible for someone who couldn’t take
anything at face value. She had to question rules, challenge authority and play
devil’s advocate at almost every opportunity, which was why she was surprised
that her sister had been trying, for the past two weeks, to convince her to
come home for the winter. Their mother’s health had been declining since she’d
been diagnosed with breast cancer. It was at stage four before they discovered
it, and the doctors had done what they could, but Ida hadn’t responded to treatment.
Margot claimed their mother wasn’t going to last much longer, that Gia should
spend a few months with her before it was too late. But Gia was surprised
Margot would risk the peace and contentment they all seemed to enjoy without
her.
Gia wasn’t sure she could go back to the same family dynamic
she found so damaging, regardless. She and her business partner ran a
helicopter sightseeing company for tourists and flew hunters and fishermen in
and out of the remote wilderness—but Backcountry Adventures was closed during
the coldest months, from November to February. She would soon have the time
off, so getting away from work wouldn’t be a problem. It was more that when she
was in Wakefield, the walls seemed to close in around her. It simply got too
damn hard to breathe. “Fine,” she grumbled. “Don’t answer that question. But
speaking of limitations, how’s Sheldon?”
“Seriously, Gia? I’m going to assume you didn’t mean to ask
about him in that way,” her sister stated flatly.
There was no love lost between Gia and her brother-in-law.
She hated the way he controlled Margot, how he could spend money on hunting or
fishing or buying a new camper, but her sister had to scrape and bow for a new
pair of jeans. Margot explained it was because he earned all the money, that he
was trying to be a good “manager” by giving her such a tight budget so the
business would be successful and they’d have money to retire in old age, but to
Gia, it seemed that Margot was making all the sacrifices. Stingy was stingy,
and yet he was the one who wanted Margot at home, waiting for him with a
hot meal at the end of the day. Their boys, Matthew and Greydon, were eight and
six, both in school. Margot could work part-time, at least, establish something
of her own, if Sheldon wasn’t calling all the shots.
“It was a joke.” Gia really didn’t want to cause problems in
her sister’s marriage. Margot insisted she was happy, although if that were her
life, Gia probably would’ve grabbed her kids and stormed out of the
house—for good—long ago.
“He’s doing great. He’s been busy.”
“It’s deer hunting season. I assume he’s going.”
“Next week.”
And what will you do—stay home and take care of the kids
and the house while he’s gone? Gia wanted to ask, but this time she managed
to bite her tongue. “He’s going to Utah again?”
“Yeah. They go there every year. One of his buddies grew up
in Moab.”
“Last winter, Sheldon’s business slowed down a bit, so I’m
surprised to hear you say he’s been busy.”
“That was the economy in general. All trucking companies
took a hit. I don’t think the same thing’s going to happen this year, though.
He just bought two new semis and is hiring more drivers.”
“He’s quite the businessman.” Gia rolled her eyes at her own
words. He hadn’t built the trucking business; he’d inherited it from his
parents, who remained heavily involved, which was probably what saved it from
ruin. But thankfully, Margot seemed to take her words at face value.
“I’m proud of him.”
He was proud of himself, could never stop talking about his
company, his toys, his prowess at hunting or four-wheeling or any other “manly”
pursuit. Gia was willing to bet she could out-hunt him if she really wanted to,
but the only kind of shots she was willing to take were with her camera.
Still, she was glad, in a way, that her sister could buy
into the delusion that Sheldon was a prize catch. “That’s what matters,” she
said as she pulled into the drive of her two-bedroom condo overlooking Mill
River. The conversation was winding down. She’d already asked about the boys
while she was in the grocery store—they were healthy and happy. She was going
to have to ask about Ida before the conversation ended, so she figured she
might as well get it over with. “And how are Mom and Dad?”
Her sister’s voice dropped an octave, at least. “That’s actually
why I called…”
Gia couldn’t help but tense; it felt like acid was eating a
hole in her stomach. “Mom’s taken a turn for the worse?”
“She’s getting weaker every day, G. I—I really think you
should come home.”
Closing her eyes, Gia allowed her head to fall back against
the seat. Margot couldn’t understand why Gia would resist. But she’d never been
able to see anything from Gia’s perspective.
“G?” her sister prompted.
Gia drew a deep breath. She could leave Idaho a few weeks
before they closed the business. Eric would cover for her. She’d worked two
entire months for him when his daughter was born. She had the money, too. There
was no good excuse not to return and support her family as much as
possible—and if this was the end, say goodbye to her mother. But Gia knew that
would mean dealing with everything she’d left behind.
“You still there?”
Gathering her resolve, Gia climbed out of the car. “Sorry.
My Bluetooth cut out.”
“Did you hear me? Is there any chance you’d consider coming
home, if only for a few weeks?”
Gia didn’t see that she had any choice. She’d never forgive
herself if her mother died and she hadn’t done all she could to put things
right between them. She wished she could continue procrastinating her visit.
But the cancer made it impossible. “Of course. Just…just as soon as I finish
up a few things around here.”
“How long will that take you?”
“Only a day or two.”
“Thank God,” her sister said with enough relief that Gia
knew she couldn’t back out now.
What was going on? Why would having her in Wakefield matter
so much to Margot?
“I’ll pick you up from the airport,” her sister continued.
“Just tell me when you get in.”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve made the
arrangements.”
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