The Weight of Memory is a beautifully written and captivating story told from dual timelines. The author pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let loose. My memories of reading this book will linger for a long time.

Wow! I don’t even know how to describe this book! I was totally captivated by this story and couldn’t stop reading! Shawn Smucker’s writing style is like none other. This has to be my favorite of his books! I definitely recommend it!


I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

"We can never trust ourselves, never know our true motives. There is always something deeper at work, something unseen pulling us along to hidden ends. We paddle where we think we want to go, but all along it's the hidden current that takes us."

It's another lyrical and beautifully written novel by Shawn Smucker that addresses the everyday battle with grief and regret seeped in the past with its memories and fear of the unknown when facing our mortality in an unusual and memorable writing style. You cannot read this book in a rush, for every word penned is important and builds on each other to create the author's own brand of nostalgic and mysterious poetry, edged with suspense and sprinkled with hope. Truly the plot took me by surprise because I could not predict what will happen next. The first person narrative from Paul is raw and heart-wrenching as he tells the story in present tense like he's speaking to his grand-daughter. The flashbacks, still in Paul's voice, help to build his past in his hometown of Nysa without interrupting his narrative. This book is incredibly thought-provoking and will stay with you long after you've put the book down.

I received the book from Revell and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are solely my own.

Pearl has a great imagination. Sometimes readers will wonder if Pearl is imagining things or are things real. Paul, Pearl's grandfather has just months to live and is trying hard to find care for Pearl when he passes. This is a trip down memory lane. The author writes beautifully but I found the story unappealing.

As usual, this book by Shawn Smucker has characters that are unique, but still feel like they live down the road from you. The town of Nysa is vaguely creepy, so you will worry about these characters that might live down the street from you. These characters face down really hard things and you will wonder exactly what is real, just like these characters do. You will be left feeling triumphant and a little nervous by what is really possible in this life.
The characters and setting are powerful. The ending of this will stick with me. In some ways it is tied up and other parts are loose, so my mind just keeps wandering around Nysa.
I received a copy of the book. This is my review. Thank you to NetGalley and Revell.

Just WOW. This story kept me engaged and guessing from beginning to end, rooting for and empathizing with each character, and effective kept my belief suspended exactly when and where it needed to be to bring home its powerful message about the power of memory, regret, forgiveness, love, and the physical manifestations of our spiritual battles. Highly recommended!

I kinda have a love/hate relationship with Smucker's stories. His storytelling skills are extraordinary and the way he draws you into each story is captivating. It's hard to take one's mind off the story over the course of reading it. But I typically find at the end that I have little idea what the story is really about. And interestingly from the reviews I've read, no other reviewer has really commented on the later either, so I'm guessing I'm not alone.

I think this is the best story of Smucker's I've read. From the first page I was drawn into Paul and Pearl's life. I loved how Paul told the story to Pearl with short sharp chapters (that had titles) only for Pearl to take over in a handful of chapters.

Smucker weaves Paul's memories masterfully throughout. The way he remembers his love for his deceased wife Mary is beautiful. Like all Smucker stories there's a lyrical and fantastic element in this one. The fantastic being Pearl's imagination and her relationship with the woman with white hair. We're never sure how real or otherwise this 'being' is and the intensity of Pearl's connection with her grows increasingly through the story.

Smucker's stories rarely wrap up nicely in the end. Well, one thing gets sorted in this one, and I am left with some contemplative thoughts on memories: "... I realise memories are heavy things, heavier still when we don't let them go." (92%) and the power of love to heal.

But I am still left a little sad and frustrated that I finish with lots of mystery in the unresolved, in the sadness that lingers at the end. Interestingly, however, much of life involves such, well, lots of mystery in the unresolved. And perhaps this is another reason for why Smucker is such a wonderful storyteller.

I received an early ebook copy from Revell/Shawn Smucker via NetGalley with no expectation of a favourable review.

A strange book that was at times hard to follow. Some of the concepts are easy to misunderstand and not the normal cultural way of viewing life.

The Weight of Memory is an exceptionally well written dual time line novel. Very thought provoking. I highly recommend this book.

Shawn Smucker is one of the most evocative writers I’ve read. This story paints a breath-taking picture of the faithfulness of love and weight of our tragic memories . . . especially those we keep hidden away.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell for a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.

This is a lyrical, mystical book that follows the journey of terminally ill Paul and his grand-daughter Pearl back to his hometown. The book alternates between Paul's memories, and present day. Shawn Smucker skillfully blends the two time periods and the memories and unknown secrets that swirl around Paul and Pearl. This book is beautifully written, thought provoking, and full of hope, with characters that I will long remember. I just loved this book!

Wow...I'm not quite sure how to describe this story and that's a compliment! It was a beautifully told story.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC.

It's not easy to write a review about this novel with this fantasy parts that draw you in just as Pearl feels drawn by the woman wit the silver-gray hair.
Don't expect logic, but expect a very well written story about things that go beyond reality.

I have never read anything by this author before and have heard a lot about him. This was a very interesting book. I really enjoyed the idea of it. It was a little bit deeper than I enjoy while reading fiction.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

There is nobody else in Christian fiction who writes the kind of stories Shawn Smucker is writing. Shawn’s stories are ethereal, evocative, full of symbolism and magical realism. The narrative isn’t always straightforward. Not everything is explained or resolved. It’s more literary than most Christian fiction tends to be and is more focused on tone and feeling over narrative and action. The end result is that his books—including The Weight of Memory—aren’t for every type of reader. Be aware of what you’re getting into when you crack open one of his books. It’s an experience that you’re not likely to get with many other Christian authors today.

The Weight of Memory is the story of Paul and Pearl. Paul has just been given a terminal diagnosis of some form of cancer—brain cancer, perhaps, as its presence is symbolized by a knot growing just above Paul’s ear. Paul can accept his fate, but isn’t sure what to do with his granddaughter, Pearl. Pearl is a flighty child: ephemeral, naïve, and restless. She fits the trope of the innocent child who is simultaneously wise beyond her years and clueless about simple things.

With only months left to live, Paul decides to return to his hometown—a place he’s not been since the death of his wife decades earlier. He’s not sure what he’s seeking. Ostensibly, someone to care for Pearl. But what he returns to is much more than that and takes him on a journey of processing and living with long-held grief.

Not everything makes sense in The Weight of Memory and that’s because Smucker’s writing is meant to be symbolic more than real. If something in the book doesn’t seem to have any logical connection, you can be sure that Smucker has a literary purpose that will eventually be revealed. The book moves in and out of this loose grasp of reality, making the mystery that much more difficult to pin down.

Smucker also introduces a past plot, detailing a summer with Paul, his wife, and their friends. You begin to see several parallels between Paul’s wife and Pearl, along with gaining a greater understanding of Paul’s unaddressed pain. In my review of These Nameless Things, I wrote that the one thing Smucker needed was a flashback perspective to round the storyline out. He listened and the result is a much deeper story that’s more easily understood.

The Weight of Memory is written from Paul’s perspective toward Pearl. It’s an ingenious method of involving the reader in the story, putting us directly in Pearl’s shoes as Paul recounts events that happened to Pearl in the second-person. There’s something enrapturing about a good second-person perspective.

Smucker’s skills continue to improve as he refines his literary voice and grows comfortable in the mostly barren niche he’s created for himself in Christian fiction. Whether you already love magical realism or just in the market for something a bit different, The Weight of Memory is an excellent choice. With rich symbolism and a well-realized atmosphere, The Weight of Memory is a thoughtful, poignant offering. Smucker’s best to date.

Smucker delivers another novel that takes readers inside the characters' skins immediately, making us feel for them and the pending tragedy, and then slowly he brings in unexpected elements that suggest this is more than just a conventional thriller. A triumph!