No Cafés in Narnia

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

Heather finds it difficult to settle into life on Tarragon Island. She
doesn’t even feel comfortable with this new writer’s group she is
trying out. The kids seem odd, and the exercises they do seem even
stranger. But she is determined to write and persists with it even when
the death of her grandfather triggers dramatic and upsetting changes in
her family life: her once super-energetic mother slips into clinical
depression, her father becomes angry and withdrawn, and her grandmother
begins to suffer acute anxiety attacks. But Heather is grieving too and
she is angry with her family, especially her mother, for letting her
down. In addition to these problems, her friend Alyssa has asked her
help in solving a mystery involving some rare stolen stamps. Heather
finds comfort in her passion for writing and friendship with a fellow
writer. Soon her family start to receive the help they need and
Alyssa’s mystery is satisfactorily resolved.

This superbly written sequel to the acclaimed Tarragon Island blends
family drama, mystery, and a little romance, giving the book both
breadth and balance. Heather’s personal struggles seem immense as she
feels the stigma of mental illness as well as the loss of her mother’s
support. Tate’s light touch and quirky humor, however, keep the novel
from being weighed down by the heavy issues it addresses. Highly
recommended.