THE CURSE OF MISTY WAYFAIR by
JAIME JO WRIGHT

The author has captured a story that intensifies with each page. I absolutely love the way she weaves the story from the past to the present. She has a way of making the story flow with ease while grabbing the readers full attention. The details in the story pop off the pages and I really felt like I was a part of the story watching it unfold.

Thea is a wonderful character who didn't have a great life. Growing up in an orphanage was very hard and its easy to see how someone would feel abandoned. I love the time period set in 1908 with Thea on a journey to find   her mother. Her job as a postmortem photographer really sent shivers down my spine. Such a creepy thing to have to do, but I guess people wanted to remember their loved ones even in death. The asylum was very intriguing and I felt darkness and despair through the hallways of such a sad place.  The treatment of the patients at the asylum is deplorable and oh how I ached for them. When one of the characters describes the asylum  as, "Hell cannot be much worse than being banished to a place such as this,"  the author painted a picture that I will never forget.  Thea encounters a curse that seems to have been placed on a family called the Coyles. Just reading about the curse made me want to run and hide. Can you imagine unexplained deaths in your family and sightings of a ghost of a woman who was murdered? Thea has to continue her journey even if it puts her in danger or if she crosses path with the mysterious ghost.

When we travel to present day, we encounter Heidi who has wants  to find out why a strange letter from her mother has been put in Heidi's hands. They certainly haven't  had the best relationship. As her mother slips more in to dementia , will Heidi find out why her mother is so desperate to see her? Heidi does seem to run when things get to hard for her so I wasn't sure how long she would stay in town. The connection between Thea and Heidi is written with such deep history and really made me want to help them both.

One of the things the book talks about is mental illness. It is a subject many people are uncomfortable discussing. The author handles it in a compassionate way .  I'm glad the author brings to the surface about this issue and how we need to be more caring and understanding of someone going through a mental issue. The stigma of mental illness seems to not have changed much, but there is always hope.

Thea and Heidi are both trying to find out about their path and seek confirmation that they were not a mistake. The faith elements in the story are strong and give people hope that God is always right there with you in good times and bad. When I hurt I shut down just like one of the characters did. I get worried that I will be made fun of or feel inadequate. All this stems from my childhood , just like the characters. Will Thea and Heidi find the answers they need to heal from their past? The story is beautifully written and I loved how it emphasized that we are all important.

 Mental illness is something that has been misunderstood for centuries, but as I read this book I soon discovered that really its the unknown that scares us. We need to keep our eyes fixed on God and let Him guide us. The ending of the book is filled with compassion and ties up all loose ends very gracefully. This story has opened doors to mental illness and shined a light on how easy a person can feel unwanted, lonely and scared. The author has written her best story to date in this intriguing journey of faith and hope.

I received a copy of this book from the author and Bethany House. The review is my own opinion.


" We weren't created to find our identity in life. We were created to discover our Creator . In doing so, our identity is defined."