The Mill River Recluse

By Darcie Chan

ISBN: 9780553391879

Publisher: Random/Ballantine

Publication date: 6/17/2014

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 5 Stars

Top Books of 2014

The sensational New York Times bestseller The Mill River Recluse reminds us that friendship, family, and love can come from the most unexpected places. Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy.

From the outside, Mill River looks like any sleepy little Vermont town where everyone knows everyone and people never need to lock their doors. There are newcomers for whom this appeals, from police officer Kyle Hansen and his daughter Rowen, who are starting over after heartache, to Claudia Simon, the schoolteacher who is determined to reinvent herself.

But on closer inspection, there are those in Mill River—including a stealthy arsonist, a covetous nurse, and a pilfering priest—who have things they wish to hide. None more than the widow Mary McAllister, who for the past sixty years has secluded herself in her marble mansion overlooking the town. Most of the residents have never even seen the peculiar woman. Only the priest, Father O’Brien, knows the deep secrets that keep Mary isolated—and that, once revealed, will forever change the community.

My Review

"I fell in love with this story, the author, the town, and the characters!"

This mysterious mansion drew me in from the front cover, along with these intriguing characters, especially, Mary and Father O’Brien. Your heart goes out to this woman, living a sheltered life, yet able to touch so many lives with her goodwill, even in the next upcoming book (from the grave). Shifting back and forth from past to present, Chan takes us back to the era of the fifties and sixties. A time when options were limited, for those suffering from social anxiety disorders--except mental institutions, which would have been detrimental in this case with such a delicate and fragile woman. When combined with physical abuse, there were even less options for these victims --a lack of support, education, and protection, especially ones fighting against wealthy and powerful families. Thankfully, in Mary’s case, she has two allies – Father O’Brien and her husband’s grandfather, Conor. Anxiety disorders are the most common emotional disorders, annually affecting more than 20 million Americans (about one in nine). In Mary’s case, one of post-traumatic stress disorder (occurring in individuals who have survived a severe or terrifying physical or emotional event), interfering with her daily functioning. Even today’s alarming statistics, one in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime, and an alarming (60%) of rapes are never reported to authorities. On a humorous note, some readers will also relate to the time between 1953 and 1968, transitioning from black- and- white television, to color—recalling the excitement, and will enjoy the TV show mentions.

Darcie Chan, writes from the heart-- Her passion is reflective throughout the pages, of this thought-providing novel of life lessons learned. Be sure and visit the author’s website to learn the inspiration behind The Mill River Recluse-- the majesty of the Cornwell mansion, and the generosity and kindness of one man. Fans of Emilie Richards, Beth Hoffman, Donna Ball, Nancy Thayer, Joanne Demaio, Wendy Wax, Susan Wiggs, Patti Callahan Henry, Karen White, Shelly Noble, and Lisa Wingate will enjoy Chan’s warmhearted style and rich characters, you will not soon forget.

REVIEW LINKS: Goodreads

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About the Author

I didn’t learn the word “peripatetic” until I was well into my thirties. It means moving or traveling from place to place, and it certainly describes the early part of my life. Growing up, my father’s career as a school psychologist and then a special education administrator meant that our family moved several times. I was born in Wisconsin and lived there until I was six. Then we moved to Muncie, Indiana, the towns of La Junta and Cheraw, Colorado, and finally to Paoli, Indiana, where I went to high school.

In all of those places, I was surrounded by the warmth and familiarity unique to small communities. It’s no wonder that the novels I write are set in a small town that espouses those same qualities.

I went to college at Indiana University, a major research institution with a student enrollment greater than the population of many of the small towns in which I grew up. Given my participation in science fairs throughout high school, I decided to major in biology and go to medical school. The further I got into the pre-med curriculum, though, the more I disliked it. Instead, I found myself dreaming of studying literature and creative writing. Finally, midway through my junior year, I decided to follow my heart. I changed my major to English and aimed for law school. And I resolved that someday, some way, I would pursue my dream of writing a novel.

It turns out that my interest in science didn’t go to waste. I earned an environmental science certificate from IU, which sparked my interest in environmental law. And I actually met my husband Tim at a national high school science fair competition. (Just goes to show that my being a “science nerd” in high school had some benefits I never saw coming!) Tim and I kept in touch and maintained a long-distance relationship for the entire time we were in college. Afterward, we applied to law and medical schools in the same general area so that we could finally live in the same place! That meant moving yet again, this time to Baltimore, where I went to law school at the University of Baltimore and Tim started working on a joint MD/PhD degree at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

I finished my law degree first and took a job with the United States Senate drafting environmental and natural resource legislation. Tim faced many more years of school and training than I did and it was during the first few years of his residency, when he was working crazy hours and I had lots of time alone in the evenings, that I wrote The Mill River Recluse, my first novel. Like most first novels, it didn’t sell. I put it in a drawer and life went on.

Years later, after reading articles about the popularity of e-books and the ease with which someone could self-publish a book in electronic form, I uploaded The Mill River Recluse, to Amazon’s Kindle Store and to other ebook retail sites, and everything changed in what seemed like an instant. The novel hit the New York Times bestseller list three months after I released it, and the Wall Street Journal ran a story about it in December 2011. When Random House offered me the opportunity to write two new novels, I realized I had to choose between continuing to work for the Federal Government and pursuing a career as a writer. I also realized that I couldn’t live the rest of my life asking “what if?” Again, I followed my heart. I resigned my legal position in March 2012 and have been writing full-time ever since.

The Mill River series now consists of three novels – The Mill River Recluse, The Mill River Redemption, and The Promise of Home. I plan to write more installments and have already outlined the next Mill River book. I am also working on an unrelated novel that I’ve wanted to get on paper for years, and I have more ideas for books in the pipeline.

In the short time that I’ve been a writer – which is a description of myself that I’m still getting used to – I’ve learned a few things. First, you should always expect the unexpected. And, there is sometimes more than one path that will enable you to achieve a dream. For me, being able to get my first novel in front of readers as an e-book changed my career and my life. I will always be grateful to every person who read The Mill River Recluse, and especially those who took the time to review it, mention it to a friend, or send me a note of encouragement. Those readers – my readers – made my dream of being an author come true. I only hope that my current and future books return to them some of the great happiness and enjoyment that they have given me.

avorite book: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Other favorites: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, The Shipping News by Annie Proulx, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, and all of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.

Favorite movies (in no particular order): “Interstellar,” “Waking Ned Devine,” “Avatar,” “The Cider House Rules,” “Star Trek: First Contact,” and anything with the Muppets.

Author photo by Carrie Schechter