Today, I’m hosting author Julie Gilbert and her latest release Cemetery Songs, a young adult novel. Be sure to check out my review of this book. And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.
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Title: Cemetery Songs
Series:Author: Julie Gilbert
Publication Date: December 15, 2020
Genres: Young Adult
Poignant and uplifting, Cemetery Songs is a compelling YA about a girl, a ghost, and the graveyard that sends them both on a journey of self-acceptance.
Blurb: When Polly Stone’s birthmother dies, she feels lost and adrift. How do you mourn someone you never knew? Even the dead, whose final thoughts Polly can hear, offer no advice.
Instead Polly fails her classes, alienates her friends, gets fired from her summer job, and accidentally sets fire to the high school. At a loss, Polly’s parents ground her and insist she volunteer at the local archives.
The dusty boxes are boring, but Polly is intrigued by her assignment: mapping an abandoned Black settlement on the edge of town. At the very least, it gives her time to examine her confused feelings for Billy Meyer, a former classmate who is also blackmailing her.
Amid weedy tombstones, Polly and Billy encounter the charming ghost of Harrison Card, who died in 1924. Sensing there’s more to the story than Harrison can recall, the unlikely trio investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.
The discoveries are unnerving, especially since the ugly racist history reflects some of Polly’s own experiences as a biracial teenager. Past and present collide when Polly’s attempts to help Harrison go tragically wrong. As Polly grapples with the consequences of her actions, she must decide if she is brave enough to heed the wisdom of the dead.
“You about ready?” I ask as I sit in the grass at the corner of the gravestone.
“Sure,” Billy says, sitting back on his heels. He swings the flashlight to illuminate his handiwork. A series of objects is arranged around the perimeter of the grave. Nearest me is a chipped coffee mug with the Monroe city logo on it. Next to that there’s a single golf glove and a pile of tees. A worn dog leash curls in the corner, nestled against a plastic water dish.
“He’s the guy who died at his desk, isn’t he?” I ask. “Like two weeks ago or something.” My mom mentioned it over dinner the other night, the city employee who’d been physically fit but plagued with anger management issues. Apparently he died in the middle of a conversation.
“Yeah, that’s him. You know him?”
“No, but I’m about to.”
I wrap my hands around the mug, drawing in a few deep, clean breaths and turning my attention to Arnold Weber, sliding into his mind, or whatever’s left of it.
He died during an argument, I learn. What the hell, Scott? was his final thought. I hold the mug tighter and images start to appear in my mind. I see the inside of an office paneled in wood and carpeted in gray. There’s an industrial desk dominating the small space, buttressed by several filing cabinets. A clock ticks on the desk and I see that it’s golf-themed and inscribed with the word “Pinehurst.”
A wave of memories rushes through me as I amplify Arnold’s mind further. I see a woman’s blonde hair shot gray at the temples, her eyes tired and distant. I see the same woman in a photograph, younger, her eyes wary but hopeful beneath the veil of her wedding dress. I see a parade of children and I see Arnold and the woman standing near this very spot on a cold, October day, watching as a tiny coffin is laid into the ground.
There are more memories. Christmas morning, Halloween night. Endless meetings and workshops where the phrases “organic synergy” and “workflow analysis” rattle around sterile conference tables. There’s a cruise in the Bahamas where everyone got sick and another to Alaska where they saw whales. As I release the mug, there’s one last image of Arnold as a college student, skipping over the art class that tugs at his pen and reluctantly signing up for an accounting class instead.
I can feel myself return to the surface, can hear Arnold’s voice yelling at Scott in my mind. Before I break through into consciousness, I hear the words “Jessam Crossing” and a voice says, “She can’t use what she can’t find.” Then I’m back in my own body, crouching over a mound of earth.
Billy is studying me.
“How long was I gone?” I ask.
“About thirty minutes. You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you learn?” he asks.
“Lots.” I shake my head. “Lots of images and memories. I’m not sure where to start.”
“I can ask you the security questions when I find them,” Billy says, his voice low.
“Might be easier,” I interrupt. I clamber to my feet and we start walking back to the truck. I’m concentrating so hard on trying to recall other snippets of the conversation that I step into a badger hole and stumble to my knees.
“I gotcha,” Billy says. His hands slide from behind me to cup my elbows and leverage me to my feet. When I’m standing again, I’ve got my back to him. We’re not touching, other than his hands at my elbows, but I can sense him, his entire body towering over me, sheltering me. It’s electric. I swallow and feel my breath speed up. He moves a hair closer to me, his chest against my back, his legs brushing mine. He’s so much taller than me but I feel tall and strong standing here like this. His head dips and I can feel his breath on my neck.
“Polly—” he says, just as a bat swoops overhead, breaking the spell. I jump and take a few steps toward the truck.
“I should get home,” I say. I put my hand over my throat to conceal the rapid flutter of my heart, even though I know he can’t see it in the dark anyway.
“Let’s go,” he says at last, his voice gravelly. We go back to the truck and don’t talk the rest of the way.
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You read the blurb, so I’ll get straight to the review. First off, I loved the character of Apolonia aka Polly. She’s at a point in her life where she’s confused, angry, and full of grief after losing her birth mother, and growing up in a Caucasian community with Caucasian adoptive parents.
In some ways, I found myself thinking of the late Richard Wagamese’s For Joshua, because he was a Sixties Scoop child, and was also full of the same feelings growing up far away from the Anishinaabeg, his people. The author captured the confusion and longing teenagers undergo when placed in a community where the colour of their skin is different as they attempt to search for their true identity.
I especially enjoyed the lost friendship between Henrietta and Polly. Both were African American, yet Henrietta seemed content with her surroundings, but Polly struggled.
Polly’s character arc was executed brilliantly. I won’t get into details, because I fear spoiling this for other readers.
As for Billy, the boy who’s blackmailing Polly, I loved how the author drew his tough yet vulnerable character to really make him shine. He was truly Polly’s strength during this trying time in her life.
As for Tasha, the archivist, she served wonderfully as a mentor for Polly. Someone the younger woman could look up to and admire. Tasha was just there, showing and not lecturing on how to live one’s life. Well done, author.
With the novel being set in Minnesota (even though I’m not from the USA), I really identified and loved this because where I grew up and live is just above this state, so I’m familiar with the area. The setting was painted beautifully, and gives the reader a true description of the best state in the USA.
The writing is gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. The same for the voice of Polly. I really felt I was reading Polly’s story, and not a narration by the author.
As for the plot, this was done well. From the mystery and Polly’s turmoil and growth, it was almost a smooth ride to the finish. I say “almost” because there was chunks of backstory that did cause lags. This backstory could have been worked better into the story using different writing methods.
As for Harrison, the author did a bang-up job bringing him to life, and his emotions.
The research was impeccable. It became part of the plot, not a lesson in history.
Cemetery Songs is a wonderful coming of age story. It draws forth many emotions from the reader. At time you wanna smack Polly, and other times you wish to hug her. She is truly a flesh and blood teenager with her many emotions, insecurities, and questions. I really enjoyed this character.
Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy. It’s well worth the purchase price.
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Although Julie K. Gilbert’s masterpiece, The Adventures of Kitty Bob: Alien Warlord Cat, has sadly been out of print since Julie last stapled it together in the fourth grade, she continues to write. Her short fiction, which has appeared in numerous publications, explores topics ranging from airport security lines to adoption to antique wreaths made of hair. Julie makes her home in southern Minnesota with her husband and two children
Find Julie: Web Site | Twitter | Goodreads
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Maggie Blackbird 
It sounds like an interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
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