THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 // 19 BOOKMONGER Portland author’s new novel focuses on fresh starts To be honest, I found the beginning of Portland author Marie Bostwick’s new novel, “Hope on the Inside,” to be fairly bland. But Bost- wick is a New York Times bestselling author for a rea- son, and once the story gets into gear, it is a pretty engag- ing ride. Things begin like this: Rick Carpenter gets home early from work one day and decides to surprise his wife by baking a loaf of rosemary olive bread. But when Hope gets home from her job as a teacher of Family and Con- sumer Science (the new term for Home Economics), she is instantly on alert. “You only make rose- mary olive bread when something’s gone wrong and you’re trying to break it to me gently.” That’s what being mar- ried to one another for more than three decades is like — this husband and wife, par- ents of four grown children, know one another well. Rick spills the beans. Although he had taken on THIS WEEK’S BOOK ”Hope on the Inside” By Marie Bostwick Kensington –360 pp –$15.95 a crushing workload as the engineering fi rm he worked for transitioned to new man- agement, he and some of the other senior engineers have just been unceremoniously forced into retirement. There is a limited sever- ance package, fortunately. But as the months go by, Rick begins to realize that employers aren’t all too crazy about hiring a 58-year- old engineer — yes, age dis- crimination does exist. Then Hope’s school dis- trict faces budget cuts. Hope had only recently gone back to teaching after raising their own children. With no job seniority, Hope is laid off. The couple has to face fi nancial reality and make some drastic adjustments. They sell their beloved Port- land home and downsize to a condo in Olympia, where MIRACLE AUTO DETAILING • • • • • TOP REASONS TO HAVE YOUR CAR DETAILED IN SPRING & SUMMER PROTECT YOUR VEHICLES’ PAINT PROTECT THE INTERIOR OF YOUR VEHICLE IMPROVED SAFETY & VISIBILITY PROTECTION FOR YOUR WHEELS & TIRES REFRESH YOUR NEW AND OLDER VEHICLE(S). Mobile Services — We Come to You! Karen Halverson, Owner 360-244-3561 facebook.com/miracleautodetailing16 miraclecardetailing.com P.O Box 639 Seaview, WA 98644 • Licensed and Insured their daughter lives. But there’s still the matter of securing work. Hope fi nds something fi rst — she gets hired to teach a crafting class in the local women’s prison. Working with this pop- ulation is an enormous and stressful stretch for her and comes with a whole set of considerations she had never encountered before. The inmates have been trauma- tized in so many different ways, and Hope struggles to make her class relevant to them. Gradually, she fi nds com- mon ground. They, too, worry about their children and their families. They, too, are seeking fresh starts. When Hope introduces a quilting project to her class, genuine bonding begins. But the project also introduces problems that Hope had been too naïve to anticipate. “Hope on the Inside” pieces together several sto- ries of struggles, setbacks and small victories as Hope, her husband, her kids and her students all grapple with the vicissitudes of life. In the end, Bostwick’s fans won’t be disappointed. She writes about quilts, food and the healing power of creativity. The spiritual thread that underlies the story shows in an occasional, pertinent stitch here or there. The author celebrates family bonds and brings for- ward various characters who offer different bits of home- spun (or hard-won) wisdom, including the governor. But Hope’s mom offers perhaps the best advice: “Whatever comes your way, fi nd the happiness in it.” That’s signature Bostwick. The Bookmonger is Bar- bara Lloyd McMichael, who writes this weekly col- umn focusing on the books, authors and publishers of the Pacifi c Northwest. Con- tact her at bkmonger@ nwlink.com