The Buried Book

Nine year old Jasper Leary has just been abandoned at his uncle’s farm by his mother. Sure she has left him here before, but she was full of deception today. She just said they would visit for the day, but then she had a suitcase packed and everything. Jasper doesn’t know when he will see her again, so he tries to fall in line with his older cousin on the farm. Only problem is that he really misses his mom. When he discovers the old family house still has his mom’s childhood diary in it, he knows he must try to find her. Only problem is, so does everyone else it seems. Even a Detroit detective has shown up asking questions about her and where she is. After his father comes to pick him up and take him home, he stays with a neighbor and things happen in his apartment. In an attempt to get away, he ends up at some places a kid should never be, including a peep show and alone on a bus back to his uncle’s farm. Somehow, his mother is involved with the neighboring Indian reservation. There is death, destruction, and drug trafficking, but what does Jasper’s mother have to do with it?

I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The whole book is told from Jasper’s viewpoint and Pulley does a great job of having this read like a nine year old’s mind. And the trip down memory lane to 1952 was really fun too. It was a different time and she did a great job of showcasing the back streets of Detroit as well.

There is some disturbing material throughout the book, but it is really just how it is. It’s not a shock and awe that the author is trying to go for, it is just what could honestly happen to a lone nine year old boy. And all of the sexual taboo mentioned and portrayed throughout is not understood by Jasper. So, while the reader understands what is going on (and likely cringing) Jasper is just as confused as ever and never really gets to a point that he does understand. So, very well played out by Pulley.

Even so, I would not recommend this book for YA audiences. Likely that this book could be picked up by a university class at some point for a required reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the TLC Book Tours. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

A special thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

D.M. Pulley returns following her award-winning debut, The Dead Key (2015-highly recommend), with an absorbing historical fiction, family saga: THE BURIED BOOK: beautiful, yet harrowing; mixed with mystery, suspense, and intrigue.

A determined nine-year-old boy’s desperate journey into the dark corners, in search for answers about his missing mother and unraveling of shocking family secrets. Jasper was nine years old, it was 1952 and his mother, Althea Leary left him at his Uncle Leo’s farm. He begged his mom not to go. She said she was coming back. His mom wanted his uncle to keep him safe. No one would answer him or give him any explanations about his mother. He was told to keep his ears open and his mouth shut.

Desperate to find answers about this mom. What was she running from? What if she was dead or someone had killed her? Some people were looking for her. What happened to his mom? A house burning down, a grandfather dying, and his mom’s secrets . . leaving him behind.

A coming-of-age domestic family suspense, a rural noir--a young boy slowly unravels the mystery of his misunderstood mother and the circumstances surrounding her leaving. He hears things about his mother. He is determined to discover the truth. Who took her away and why?

A book, a Bible with paper’s hidden. A book heavy with secrets. From 1928, Jasper reads his mother’s story. A mother tormented, desiring forgiveness, abuse, a bad man - and a boy who loves her deeply, and wants to understand.

What is the truth? Justice. A conflict from violence to loyalty. A strong bond of mother and son. A boy faced with the brutal evils and dangers of the world. From corruption, lies, scandal, and murder. An enthralling and gripping mystery, in a rural atmospheric setting, and a boy you will root for.

“There is a bond between you. You must look inside yourself, and you will find her.”

The Buried Book depicts life in rural Michigan in the early 1950s – a family saga, from Ojibwa tribes, to language, customs, and cultures. A mother’s worn leather diary. A son. A book which held the answers to everything about her. A tornado and ugliness, which tore apart the world. Your heart will break for Jasper.

I enjoyed the inspiration behind this well-researched historical tale and the note from the author: a stand-alone mystery inspired by the unexplained disappearance of one of the author’s family members, in 1950s Michigan. From interesting pieces of her dad’s life on a dairy farm; a blending of factual true events as a backdrop for a fictional heartbreaking journey. Pulley includes an index of intriguing events and places, historical context and extensive research which adds to the engaging, THE BURIED BOOK.

In addition to the advanced reading copy, happened to be traveling and purchased the audiobook as well, narrated by Luke Daniels for an engaging performance.

Well-written, a powerful story, no one is safe from the scattered fragments of history- the author delivers depth, lushly described settings, and an inter-generational battle between good and evil, taking you through a tornado, from fear, danger, killers, thieves, gangsters, Major Crimes Act of 1885, Prohibition, Indian Reservations, as well as taverns and other small communities and landmarks.

Recommend to fans of historical country noirs, compelling characters, and those who enjoy smartly constructed intriguing family stories, and delicious heartfelt prose.

I read "The Dead Key," and was very impressed with the well-written, page-turner. I bought "The Buried Book," hoping for more of the same. I was very disappointed.

None of what the main character, a nine-year old boy named Jasper, says and does makes sense for a child of that age. His words, thoughts, and actions are that of a much older person.

The story line is very vague. There's no sense of why things are happening the way they do. There's no real character or plot development. Events and characters just seem to be dropped into the story without much reason. Also, there's no sense of the passage of time, especially at the very unsatsifying ending.

Her first book was excellent, and I hope her next book is better, but I do not recommend this book.

The Buried Book is the story of a young boy whose mother disappears, causing him to move to his aunt and uncle’s farm next to the old home where his mother grew up.
The basic plot is good, but the read is slow and repetitious. The protagonist cries at the drop of a hat. This was okay the first 2-3 times; his mother has left him. But this kid cries continuously throughout the story. He and his cousin are repeatedly defying their parents’ order and crawling out the window to snoop around. And invariably they will arrive at a location just in time to see a major incident and hear things that add to the miserable little boy’s confusion about his mom.
The story moves slower and slower, until at some points the reader is tempted to read just the first sentence of each paragraph.
I was able to stick with this and read it to the end, but I wouldn’t suggest it to others. It would be more suitable for an 8 to 12-year-old audience.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for making it available.)

Very boring. Nothing to get your mind involved. This is a new writer and theme of both books she has written are excellent, but storytelling is lacking something. Seems some things just did not fit into the story line. Every book does not have to include violence, blood, death, and most of all sex. To say I was disappointed is not enough. Kept thinking I'd get my teeth into something good..not..

This book had so much depth and character. It was a love-hate relationship with me. The writing from a perspective of a 9 year old was incredible as he dealt with dark subjects that we hope our children will never have to experience. A great mystery novel that unfolded and was sometimes confusing, just as it happens for the child. I loved the book, the brilliant writing, the unfolding of the story...I hated the dark, horrible things that were he discovers and lives through as he tries to discover what happened to his mother. I wanted a brighter, more unrealistic ending, but I was proud of the writer for sticking to the truth of the story. This is a classic similar to "Of Mice and Men" or "The Grapes of Wrath"...I expect to find it in some college course in the upcoming years.

Dropped off at his uncle's farm by his mother, Jasper is desperate to find her again. As he continues to search, old secrets and current corruptions arise at every turn.

I really like coming of age stories, and this one is a gem! I found Jasper to be a very likable character and enjoyed the story thoroughly. Recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a complementary eARC for review purposes.

I hadn't heard of this book or this author until browsing best sellers and highly rated books on Amazon. I bought it, of course, hoping to love it. I was greatly disappointed.

The complex plot details the efforts of a 9-year-old boy in 1950s Michigan to find his mother after being dropped off at his aunt and uncle's farm an hour north of Detroit. Mom apparently has gotten mixed up in criminal ventures and tangled up with substance abuse issues, and vanishes early in the story. There are rural sheriffs, Detroit detectives, Indian tribal leaders and local drug and alcohol kingpins all involved in the search for young Jasper's missing mother and trying to control/blackmail/kill each other. I guess if I read the book again, I might start to figure out who is who and how all the pieces fit together, but on the first time through, it is way too complex and confusing. The author uses dreams, flashbacks, and recollections of Jasper's suppressed memories to the degree that it's hard to know what is real, what is imagined, or what is simply feared or hoped for in Jasper's imagination. Furthermore, several scenes involving young Jasper overhearing conversations not meant for his ears are so contrived as to be laughably improbable. He is sexually assaulted by a bus driver and transported a mile in the air by a tornado ala Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I believe the author asks way too much of the reader in terms of accepting all the fantastic events and crazy coincidences, and comprehending a complicated and hair-brained plot. Each chapter is begun with a quote that presumably comes from somebody's investigation of events at the conclusion of it all, hinting at various issues but not, in retrospect, helping the plot in any way or tying up any loose ends. The ending does nothing to pull all these loose ends together, raising more questions than it answers.

Too many pages, plot development drags and the characters are undeveloped. I kept reading to the very end, but predictable ending was very disappointing.

Easy to read. Would not recommend it to others.