Name: Serenity
ISBN: 9781635557138

Jesse J. Thoma

For Kit Marsden, there are many things in life she cannot change. Serenity is in the acceptance.

Serenity

Lucia Correa

5 Stars for Serenity written by Jesse J. Thoma

This is the first book I’ve read by Jesse J. Thoma. Truth be told, I requested this book from Netgalley because of the cover, title and that it takes place in a library. Normally, I would not pick up a book which the main character is or was a heroin addict because I don’t normally read books with a lot of angst or dark themes such as drug addiction. I’m glad I made an exception. I did find it wasn’t as dark or angst filled as I imagined, but it wasn’t without them either.

Kit and Thea meet under unusual circumstances to say the least. Kit just stumbled out of the public library’s woman’s bathroom and collapsed on the front steps. The head librarian, Thea was about to inject Kit with naloxone (an opioid reversal drug), when Kit convinced her that she was in withdrawal and didn’t need it. 

And so begins a slow burn romance. Thea thinks that would be the last she’d see of Kit but instead sees her regularly when Kit attends NA meetings at the library. This book follows two very different women, both of whom affected by drug addiction. Kit more directly and Thea who is determined to keep drugs out of “her” library. She wants the library to be a safe sanctuary as it was for her growing up.

I really liked this book, from Kit and Thea’s journey to the supporting cast of the diverse side characters. They range from the cranky older Librarian, a teenager with addict parents, and to Kit’s supportive cousin, Josh. 

I highly recommend this book, even if like me it is not your usual fare. Step out of your comfort zone, it worked for me.

Jude Silberfeld

I’m always careful who I read after authors who write exceptionally well, as I don’t want to treat the one following unfairly. Not everyone can come after Caren J. Werlinger and look good too. I don’t know why I thought Jesse J. Thoma could withstand the challenge since I’ve only ever read one of her books, before I started reviewing.

Maybe because that book, Seneca Falls, made an impression. Since I tend to forget a lot, that in itself is telling.

Guess what? It was the best choice.

When Kit and Thea meet for the first time, Kit is in withdrawal and Thea thinks she’s about to OD on the steps to the library. A few months later, a Narcotics Anonymous meeting brings them back together in that same place. Kit is clean and trying to move on, struggling with the idea that people will always see her as a heroin addict. As for Thea, she’s doing her best to make the library a safe place, for everyone. The connection between them is undeniable but both worry their past will stand in the way of a future together.

Serenity is the perfect example of opposites attract: “Kit screamed excitement, unpredictability, and chaos. Thea craved stability, predictability, and routine”, writes Thoma. Despite all their differences, their journeys are similar, in that they’re both beating the odds and fighting back, even if their first instinct is to protect themselves against the world outside and the feelings it carries along.

The best thing about this novel is the characters. Both Kit and Thea feel very real, but the same can be said about every supporting character, be it Kit’s cousin Josh, Thea’s friends and colleagues, Kit’s sponsor, the drug dealers or Frankie, Thea’s teenage not-so-secret admirer. Kit’s attitude and actions are at times annoying and frustrating but they fit with the character and where she’s coming from. The way drugs and addiction are handled is outstanding, never in a patronizing way but never romanticizing drug use either.

I’m a sucker for stories of redemption and for characters who push their limits, prove themselves to be more than others seem to think. Serenity is all that, and well-written too. 

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Serenity

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