Desert Sundays by William T Goodman

359 Pages
Publisher: Oak Lee Publishing, Independent Book Publishers (IBPA), Members’ Titles
Release Date: December 31, 2014

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller

Mae arrived in Lunden, Arizona with a broken car. Joseph, 1/2 Native American, gave her a lift into town. Chuck, the owner of the Oasis, saw Mae’s guitar in the back of the Jeep and offered Mae a singing gig and a place to stay. She has issues with men and intimacy. Tom, a professor from New York, is on a sabbatical from his position and his marriage. He makes friends with Mae and Joseph and the three of them stand up to Roger, the local mechanic.
A large part of the book are back stories of the characters. Tom’s story includes his relationship with Jake, a Vietnam veteran, and his college lover, Liz, and his wife Susan.

Joseph’s mother, Helen, could not care for him so he was adopted by his Aunt Jennifer and her husband, Paul. He became a teacher on the reservation, but one act of violence changed his life forever. This is the story of three broken people who meet in the desert on Sundays to share life experiences and stories. Together they try to heal each other and themselves.

The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in third person point of view with the exception of Mae’s journals. There are many characters in the book and much of the story is building of the characters. I found it was necessary so we are able to understand how they got where they are now.

Lunden , Arizona reminds me very much of the town I grew up in. This author knows how to tell a story and his writing is atmospheric of this small town. The main characters are very interesting and I enjoyed getting to know their backstories.
Many thanks to Oak Lee Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.