What happens to a family when lies and secrets are discovered?
In the tradition of V.C. Andrews' Flowers in the Attic, and Danielle Steel, every family has one thing in common: secrets.
She wants to know the truth, but some secrets might be better left alone…
Kate Thayer has a good life as a veterinarian, running the family horse farm—until she uncovers an act of unimaginable treachery by those she trusted most and learns that everything she knew about herself was a lie. Her paternal grandmother, the woman who raised her, is behind a number of devastating secrets Kate is compelled to discover. But the deeper she digs, the more betrayal she finds, changing her life in ways she could have never foreseen.
Frank, strong language, some sexual situations and a side lesbian storyline.
Excerpt
She knew that bigotry existed, but she had never experienced it quite like this before…
Kate couldn’t say anything for a moment. She was just too astonished. “Wh—what? Excuse me? What you did you say?”
The other boy with brown hair spoke, “Sorry, miss.” He giggled too. “You have to excuse my friend. He’s a little drunk.”
“How old are you two?”
They didn’t look older than eighteen, and had acne breakouts on their cheeks, but she knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving.
“We’re old enough,” the rude one said.
Sam returned just as the rude one spoke again and pointed, “Hey look, it’s the Jolly Giant Nigger.”
Kate shot to her feet so that she was between Sam and them.
A porter was with Sam. “Is there a problem, miss?”
“Yes,” she said without facing him. “We’d like to change our seat.”
“Of course, Sam asked too. We have another place for you over here, if you both come with me.”
Kate moved to leave. The two young men said nothing, which was a good thing. She swore she could feel her blood boiling in her veins. If they said one more thing…
Sam stood aside to let her exit and then she heard the young man. “Goodbye now, Uncle Tom.” Giggling. “Enjoy your meal, Uncle Tom, so nice to see you.” More giggling. “Dumb nigg—”
He didn’t have a chance to finish. Kate snatched the water glass from the table, threw the water at him, slammed the empty glass down hard on the table directly in front of him, and glared into his eyes. “You disgust me! It’s people like you who have turned this world into shit!”
Professional Reviews
Thought-provoking Book!
Shattered Lies – Review
The family is like a precious jewel to be protected and admired. Yet, when lies build an ugly cobweb of deception, the end result is powerful enough to shatter the foundation of the truth and thus, the familial bond.
SJ Francis examines the destruction of one family’s foundation under the weight of lies in her thoughtful and wonderful book, Shattered Lies.
The main protagonist of this story, Kate Thayer, is a veterinarian living on her family’s farm. She adores the animals and her grandmother, strong willed matriarch Katherine Thayer. At the outset, the reader learns that both of Kate’s parents have died and that she was raised by her paternal grandmother. The young woman also lost her husband, Adam, in a tragic accident.
Kate’s paternal grandmother, Katherine Thayer is the epitome of the old school Southern lady. While she has left Kate to handle the daily business of the farm, Katherine is privy to what is going on. Katherine rules her household with an iron fist. With deep rooted prejudices, Katherine is often unkind to her African American servants who are, for the most part, very loyal to her. When Kate goes into the locked attic and discovers her mother’s journal, her curiosity drives her to learn more about her mother. All she knows is that there was intense hatred between her mother’s family and her father’s family.
What follows for Kate is a journey of discovery as she confronts familial skeletons. It is a loss of innocence for her, in a way, and of trust in the people in her life. Yet, these revelations offer a new future for her and the possibility of reshaping her family.
There are so many twists and turns that suspense is effectively sustained throughout the book.
Shattered Lies explores the painful legacy of bigotry and how such a legacy can destroy many lives. In doing so, SJ Francis writes with raw honesty using language that has become embedded in the culture of racism. It will be uncomfortable and unpleasant for the reader at times. But I do applaud Francis’ efforts. She has crafted a memorable book that will leave a lasting impression.
A very thought provoking book.
I give this book:
5 out of 5 ink pens.
http://www.thewritingpiazza.com/blog/book-reviews/shattered-lies-review/
5 stars for Shattered Lies!
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
Shattered Lies by S.J. Francis is the story of Kate Thayer, a simple girl who runs her family’s horse farm. She is content with her life. She is a veterinarian and she loves her grandmother who raised her. However, when a series of lies come out and destroy her world, she has no idea if she can trust her grandmother again. Their relationship is tarnished and everything she believed about herself and her life was changed right from that instant.
Kate has no idea how she can change the past, but she is adamant to change her future. With the help of her grandmother and her grandmother’s once best friend, Kate will try to right the wrong and bring back that one part of her that was snatched from her when she was nothing but a baby. Now it is the quest of her grandmother to bring their relationship together and regain respect for one another.
Shattered Lies, the title implies a mystery novel or an action novel. When I first started to read this novel, I thought this would be a regular old-school mystery. Boy, was I surprised to find that the title implies so much more than the genre. The story is heartfelt and very real. I am very impressed with S.J. Francis. The way the author wrote the novel was super amazing and fascinating. She transported me back in time and made me feel the pain and confusion of a grandmother who thought she was doing the right thing. It is a great novel, one that I would like to read again and again.
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/shattered-lies
What Happens When People Commit Unspeakable acts
Shattered Lies by S. J. Francis is the story of what happens when people commit unspeakable acts and then try to cover them up with ever-expanding lies. Our heroine, Kate Thayer, is a veterinarian, running her family’s horse farm in Mississippi. She has been raised by her grandmother and led to believe certain things about the death of her parents when she was just a child. As usually happens with deep dark secrets, Kate discovers the truth accidentally, and her life is forever altered.
Shattered Lies is the story of the cruel, inhuman things man does to man, and the tangled webs we weave trying to cover up our heinous behavior. It’s a heart-warming and heart-breaking tale of a young woman who discovers that everything she believed about herself, her parents, her very life, is nothing but a lie. I’m giving Shattered Lies 4.3 Stars.
I found Shattered Lies by S.J. Francis to be a page-turner, a book I didn’t want to put down. I liked the writer’s pacing, style, and storyline. Most of the characters in the book had excellent development, however, I did find one main character in particular a bit tedious. In my opinion, this character needs more fleshing out to understand why there was such intense loyalty despite such abrasive behavior. Outside of this, there are no other downsides to reading Shattered Lies. I highly recommend this book as a cliff-hanger thriller which takes the reader into the underworld of two families, where unknown dark truths erupt that have such enormous impact on family dynamics and relationships. The question of how and if the characters and family systems could transcend such hurts and heinous past choices never left my mind as I hurriedly read through the book to its sweeping conclusions.
5.0 out of 5 starsA beautiful story of love and hate
By Martha A. Cheves on May 1, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
"Miss Kate went up there. I went to check on her..." "What do you mean? You let her up there? Why?" he asked. "I didn't let her up there," Elsa said. "And why not? It's her house, too." "I Told you no one is allowed up there. No one." "Relax, Sam. I'm sure Miss Katherine didn't mean Kate," Elsa said.
"Damn it, woman! I told you when we first came here that Miss Katherine has rules..." "Why did you let her go up there?" Sam asked. I didn't allow her to do anything," Elsa said. "You still haven't told me what the big deal is." "It doesn't matter now." He moved to leave but she caught his wrist. "It matters to you and if it matters to you, it matters to me.".... Sam knew if Miss Katherine found out, there'd be hell to pay, but he couldn't physically make Kate leave. That left him without any other options.
Kate lived on the family plantation that her namesake grandmother Katherine owned. Kate was a veterinarian and took care of the animals as well as the farm itself. Her grandmother had raised her after the death of her parents and even after college and the death of her own husband, she still called the old place her home. She wanted to be no place else. So why was the attic off limits to her?
Kate knew something wasn't right. There were too many unanswered questions about her parents and the answer was in that attic. So after slipping the keys from her grandmother's room she went on a search through the attic. There hidden under some old boxes she found a small, blue journal that appeared to belong to her mother. She took it back to her room, read it and then went in search of her grandmother for the truth.
When Kate started asking questions I had no idea what she was going to turn up. I was truly surprised when I learned the answers to my own questions. I never dreamed her family secrets would turn out to be what they were. And I don't believe she had any idea as to the size of the can of worms she was about to open.
This book will make you stop and think. It will make you really understand that people do make mistakes but blood is normally thicker than those mistakes. And forgiveness is even thicker. A beautiful story of love and hate.
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