The Right Kind of Fool

Title: The Right Kind of Fool

Author: Sarah Loudin Thomas

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publishing Date: Nov 3, 2020

Publisher: Bethany House

Length: 310 Pages

Links: Baker Book House | Amazon | Goodreads

About the Book:

Thirteen-year-old Loyal Raines is supposed to stay close to home on a hot summer day in 1934. When he slips away for a quick swim in the river and finds a dead body, he wishes he’d obeyed his mother. The ripples caused by his discovery will impact the town of Beverly, West Virginia, in ways no one could have imagined.

The first person those ripples disturb is Loyal’s absentee father. When Creed Raines realized his infant son was deaf, he headed for the hills, returning only to help meet his family’s basic needs. But when Loyal, now a young teen, stumbles upon a murder it’s his father he runs to tell–shaping the words with his hands. As Creed is pulled into the investigation he discovers that what sets his son apart isn’t his inability to hear but rather his courage. Longing to reclaim the life he abandoned, Creed will have to do more than help solve a murder if he wants to win his family’s hearts again.

My Review:

Sarah Loudin Thomas has penned a masterpiece worth every moment of the lingering book fog that is sure to follow. It’s left me speechless, not sure I could formulate the right words that could do it justice. Loyal Raines may have lost his hearing at a young age, but the heightening of the rest of his senses truly made him a wonder to behold. The author did an impeccable job at sharing his point of view, not only mentioning his fast moving hands as he signed his words, but describing his motions with accurate portrayal to ASL so it was like the reader is able to learn sign along with other characters that found their paths crossing his throughout the story. He was so masterfully well developed that he felt like a real person and it was as if I was getting a glimpse into his world. It wasn’t just a murder mystery, but a coming-of-age story where a young boy is launched into a journey where he discovers not only what it takes to not only be out in the real world, but what it takes to become a man despite how he may be viewed by others. This book was nothing short of amazing, and I’m SO glad I got my hands on a copy. You can bet I will be looking forward to reading much more from this author again in the future. I highly, highly recommend this one to anyone and everyone!

*I received a copy of this book through Bethany House Publishers. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

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