A book we all need. Every story is a hug, and the whole book is one long embrace.
It's a book that makes you feel good and wraps you in warmth, and that feeling doesn’t end with the last word. Feeling good isn't just about smiling when you see yourself in the characters or situations. It’s also about what happens when you’re made to think, rethink, and question yourself. You feel good when you realize you aren't alone, and you find tools that not only lift your spirits but also help you cope with what you're going through, or understand what you’ve already experienced.
Five Mississippi is just a book, yes. But not just any book. It can help you reset, make you see things from another perspective. All the stories have something real in them, and many are real from beginning to end. “I no longer hear that ‘noise’ was written for a friend when she was diagnosed with cancer—and, thankfully, she no longer hears that “noise.” The description of my grandmother matches my memory of her, and she did pass away 45 minutes after my birthday. The truck driver anecdote still makes me laugh; Patricia remains present in all her horcruxes, and Christmas at Albita’s house was unforgettable.
My characters aren’t heroes or heroines. They don’t prevent catastrophes, face down villains, or save the world. Or, well, maybe they do, but in the small world they happen to live in. They are people just like us, which is why I believe you'll relate to more than one of them, or more than one of their stories.
If I’ve done my job well, you’ll read a story every night and fall asleep with a smile.
And the next day, you’ll leave a good review on Amazon. ??
Aliza Duré is a fiction writer who tries to understand the world around her by exploring all those things that sometimes go unnoticed: a conversation on the edge of silence, the secrets we keep, the lessons that come with experience, and the good things that happen to us, which sometimes arrive disguised as tragedy.
