Sycamore (Chancellor) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
I cannot even begin to detail all the Sycamore folks I came to know in this rather literary thriller. There were a lot of lost souls and people starting over, which some readers might find a bit maudlin. But I loved every minute I spent with this book. Most every character was revealed in such an intimate way that I did not want to say goodbye, unusual in a thriller. I admired the closure that the author achieved, wrapping up so very many loose ends and difficult predicaments by book’s end. I even found comfort in a beautifully written scene describing the last minutes of Jess’s life. This is Chancellor's first novel …I sure hope she has more to come. READ MORE …
Keddy Ann Outlaw - LitLovers


Chancellor…deftly dissects the lives of more than a dozen characters who come into contact with Jess during the 12 months she lives in Sycamore. With a few opening words in each chapter, we’re immersed in their worlds and the hefty burdens of their years-long emotional struggle.… Chancellor creates suspense and tension in quiet, insular moments—family members brooding at the dinner table, lustful gazes, the rolled eyes of hormonal teenagers in the hallways of the local high school.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution


The novel glimmers with its author’s keen understanding of lives at all ages and stages. Which she achieves with deft characterization; few of her creations can be called minor, and all are drawn with care and compassion. At once haunting and hopeful, Sycamore displays Chancellor’s talent across all of fiction’s realms and showcases her generosity of spirit.… Powerful and moving.
Richmond Times-Dispatch


This hypnotic debut probes the disappearance of 17-year-old Jess.… Chancellor shifts nimbly between past and present and from character to character, cutting away the net of riddles that ensnares Sycamore’s residents.
Oprah magazine


[An] emotional and addicting debut…[and] unforgettable page‐turner.
RT Book Reviews


(Starred review.) [R]iveting…a movingly written, multivoiced novel examining how one tragic circumstance can sow doubt about fundamental things; as one character succinctly asks, "Do we really know anyone?"… [A] transporting vision of community, connection, and forgiveness.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Chancellor's absorbing first novel begins quietly, quickly gains momentum, and ends explosively.… Shifting deftly between 1991 and 2009, Chancellor spins multiple threads of Jess's story as it affects everyone, especially Maud.… [G]ripping. —Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO
Library Journal


A meaty, suspenseful debut.
Booklist


Though the author builds a fair amount of whodunit suspense, she clearly means for this to be a serious novel about loss, grieving, and forgiveness. Unfortunately, her writing—effortful and straining too hard for effect—often gets in the way…. [The] deft, plausible resolution…[is] not enough.
Kirkus Reviews