Rendered in a voice at once singular and exquisite and with an old soul sense of wisdom, I was captivated by this story of a girl and her unique gift, her love of family, the pain of loss, the sting of indifference, and the simple joy of acceptance, but most of all by Grace, and her purity of heart.” “In this outstanding debut, Eldonna Edwards has created an enchanting, loveable narrator by the name of Grace Carter, who shares all she sees about her world and beyond. “If you’re looking for good, old-fashioned storytelling, one that will pull you in from the beginning and never let go, this is the book for you.” Edwards’ conversational style and the first-person diaristic tone create an enveloping warmth that draws the reader in.” Like Grace, Edwards is the daughter of a preacher, and this write-what-you-know aspect lends This I Know a depth of feeling and honesty.

Grace displays a wellspring of compassion-for the homeless man who sometimes squats in her family’s barn, for families who have lost loved ones and especially for her mama, whom she desperately wants back from the grips of depression. “In a pitch-perfect voice, Edwards captures Grace’s struggles to understand the pain of those around her as she deals with her own, especially her desire to be loved unconditionally by her father. But when her mother lapses into deep depression after bringing home a new baby, Grace will face a life-changing choice-ignore her gift and become the obedient daughter her father demands, or find the courage to make herself heard, even if it means standing apart. It’s Grace’s kinship with other outsiders that keeps her afloat-Lyle, a gentle, homeless man, and Lola, a free-spirited new girl at school. Within Grace’s own family too, the cracks are widening, as her sisters Hope, Joy, and Chastity enjoy the normal life that eludes Grace. But it doesn’t take her special talent to know that her small community is harboring its share of secrets.

Grace can’t see into someone’s thoughts without their permission. To her wise, loving Aunt Pearl, the Knowing is a family gift to her daddy, it’s close to witchcraft.

It enables her to see into the depth of her mother’s sadness, and even allows Grace to talk to Isaac, her twin brother who died at birth. The Knowing, as Grace calls it, offers glimpses of people’s pasts and futures. She’s had plenty of practice, burying thoughts and feelings that might anger her strict Evangelical pastor father, and concealing the deep intuition she carries inside. Set in a small Midwest town in the late 1960s and helmed by an unforgettable young protagonist-compassionate, uncannily wise Grace-This I Know is a luminous coming-of-age story from an astonishing new voice.Įleven-year-old Grace Carter has a talent for hiding things.

This i know eldonna edwards