Stephanie Cesca’s debut novel, “Dotted Lines,” (Guernica Editions) is the kind of book
that makes you sigh out of pure joy for the kindness and patience of those who might
only be connected to you by a series of dotted lines.
The story’s narrator Melanie Forsythe is a mere 7-years-old when we meet her. She is
sitting in the diner where her mom works waiting for her to finish her shift.
When she looks up from her colouring book one day to meet Dave, her mom’s latest
beau, she doesn’t pay him much attention. She figures he’ll be gone in a few
weeks “like the rest of Mom’s boyfriends.”
Little does Melanie realize that it is Dave who will be her steady hand from those
days forward. Pre-Dave, Melanie and her mom had very little to their name.
“…a few dishes, a dirty mattress, a broken blender and a Diana Ross poster taped
to the wall of the bedroom.”
However, with Dave in their life, mom and daughter suddenly have the little
extras that make life rich with hope and purpose. But this state of happiness
appears to be too much for Melanie’s mom and when she gets pregnant and
delivers Jesse, a little sister for Melanie, the everyday goes awry.
Cesca writes with the ease of a neighbour narrating her story over the backyard
fence. Her throwback mentions of Toronto landmarks such as Bargain Harold’s
and Kmart are deliciously nostalgic and backdrop signposts as to the financial
resources of the family. Dave is the antithesis of the stereotypical step dad and even
as he struggles with Melanie’s mom’s disappearance, a new relationship, and Jesse’s
erratic behaviour.
When Dave drops Melanie off at college then proceeds to worry about what will happen
if she gets sick or needs help, Melanie, ever stalwart, reminds him that she has spent a
lot of her childhood on her own.
In spite of her tumultuous childhood, the challenges of high school and college, and then
the soul destroying dual betrayal of two of the closest people in her life, Melanie
manifests the power of example that Dave has instilled in her throughout her life, a state
of being that finally allows her to embrace the very goals that she has strived for all of
her life.
An excellent journey of kindness, hardship and vindication, “Dotted Lines” will renew
you faith in the joy of human goodness and hope.
REGISTER NOW FOR
Creative Aging Books & Ideas Thursday, October 31 at 2 p.m.
featuring DANIEL KALLA
Vancouver Emergency Room physician and best selling author of fourteen novels
Kalla’s character-driven thrillers focus on themes that lie at the heart of his professional life and issues that are important to him, including such diverse topics as addiction, pandemics, superbugs, DNA evidence, and patient abuse. He has written global thrillers, historical suspense, epic stories, and psychological thrillers.
Daniel will read excerpts from his new book, “High Society,” and will be in conversation with Cece Scott – and YOU!
Join the FUN -get your FREE ZOOM LINK HERE: Meeting Registration – Zoom
@simonschusterca @danielkallawrites #HighSociety #fiction #mystery #emergencyroom #MatthewPerry #Friends
Please consider supporting your local independent book store either in-store or online, including: www.blueheronbooks.com; www.novelspot.ca; benmcnallybooks.com
Subscribe to Cece’s newsletter updates for the latest in Book Reviews and Author Spotlights right here, right now.
Cece is the feature cover writer for several prestigious publications both in print and online, and is an informed, connected and enthusiastic book blogger at cecescott.com. Her first book, The Love Story, was published in 2019, and was named one of “8 Books That Will Change Your Life,” by City Life Magazine.
Her books, “Nunzio Tumino: A Pocketful of Dreams: An Immigrant’s Journey,” and “Helping People One Hand At A Time” are all available on amazon.ca.
Cece is also working on a book of Daily Pick-Me-Ups for AutoImmune and other Life Warriors, called:
“My Body Parts Are On Recall But I’ve Still Got Gas in my Tank.”
Sign up for a preview of my upcoming book here: right here, right now.
@stephanie_cesca @guernicaeditions
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it #canadianbooks #amreading #canadianbookstagrammers #booksbooksbooks #stepp
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