Extras

Review of Kinfolk by Sean Dietrich

Why do I connect with Sean Dietrich so much? Is it his wonderful Southern accent? Is it because he can sing and play music like few others I have heard? Is it because he writes a great short column every day that almost always touches my heart or makes me laugh? While these are all great reasons to follow him on Facebook and read his books, I discovered a new reason during my reading of his new page-turner called Kinfolk. 

In this novel, Dietrich shows how the characters feel without giving long-winded boring descriptions. His ability to relay what it feels like to the character who is young, orphaned, and pregnant, struck a chord with me.  For example, when he tells how Minnie felt the flutters and pulses in her tummy while listening to music, this brought back memories of my feeling my son’s movement when I was pregnant with him many years ago.  To most mothers, the feeling of your baby moving is indescribable and a miracle all at the same time. For just a second, while reading his words, I had that feeling and memory again. 

What amazes me, is how Dietrich gets in the head of multiple characters relaying their feelings while moving the story along at a brisk pace. Each character has its problems and earth-shattering events in their life.  All of the stories are interconnected by the main character, Nub. It has been a long time since I was so emotionally invested in multiple characters. Page after page it didn’t take long for the story to take an unexpected turn. Reading Kinfolk was kind of like riding a roller coaster. There were ups and downs, and each time you reached the top, you thought, oh my how did he do that? How did he imagine this? What is coming next?

I am convinced Kinfolk would make a blockbuster movie! Music lovers would love how Dietrich wove the Grand Ole Opry in its prime into the events. The connection to music and the storytelling by one of America’s best storytellers since Samuel Langhorne Clemens is truly unique. At the end of the book,  Dietrich provides an author’s note that lets the reader know how deeply invested he was in the story. No one else could have written this inspired tale. At the heart of it, Dietrich deals with surviving the suicide of a parent, which his main characters both have to deal with. 

I first found Dietrich on Facebook when COVID was raging and we were all staying home as much as possible. His daily essays were something to look forward to.  I have read a few of his other books, but this one is special. Knowing his personal story, knowing that he too debuted on the Opry while working on the book, made it all the richer! I can not wait to see what this wonderful writer does next to inspire us all. 

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