This is the first blog post I’m writing from my new house.

Oh yeah. That. I bought a house. I’ll tell y’all about it someday. Hopefully. Because you know, it’s kinda a big deal. It’s also a lot of work, so I’m still chugging away at all that. In the meantime though, here’s a review for you to enjoy.

Find the book on: Amazon and Goodreads
Pages: 320
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release Date: November 3, 2020
Title: The Right Kind of Fool
Fiction

ABOUT THE BOOK

Thirteen-year-old Loyal Raines is supposed to stay close to home on a hot summer day in 1934. When he slips away for a quick swim in the river and finds a dead body, he wishes he’d obeyed his mother. The ripples caused by his discovery will impact the town of Beverly, West Virginia, in ways no one could have imagined.

The first person those ripples disturb is Loyal’s absentee father. When Creed Raines realized his infant son was deaf, he headed for the hills, returning only to help meet his family’s basic needs. But when Loyal, now a young teen, stumbles upon a murder it’s his father he runs to tell–shaping the words with his hands. As Creed is pulled into the investigation he discovers that what sets his son apart isn’t his inability to hear but rather his courage. Longing to reclaim the life he abandoned, Creed will have to do more than help solve a murder if he wants to win his family’s hearts again.

WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BOOK

Between when I read the back-cover blurb of this book and when I received it I completely forgot what it was about – other than the fact that it took place in West Virginia relatively close to where I grew up in Ohio. Going into a book blind is one of my favorite things, and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. 

The story is in third person and follows the perspectives of all three of the family members (parents and teenage son). The son – Loyal – is the main character. I liked him right away and thought he was brilliantly written. Even though the other characters had depth, the plot was interesting, and the setting was detailed and delightful, Loyal stole the show. 

I’ve had several friends who are deaf, and I’ve read several books that include a deaf character, but never one where the deafness is woven into the story so well. Loyal would have been a solidly written character even without exploring how deafness affected his life, but when you add in that element, I was very impressed. 

The characters all had issues and things they needed to work on, so they felt very real. Each one of the main characters had a solid plot arc which I always deem important in books. 

The plot wasn’t what I considered to be the star of the show, but it was still well-written and felt very true to the era. Nothing that happened surprised me much, but that didn’t detract from the book since the main focus seemed to be on the characters and setting. There was a person murdered in the story (not a spoiler since the back-cover says as much), but there were no gory details. 

I read in another review that the reviewer was confused by the setting and era because it didn’t seem consistent, but having grown up near Beverly, West Virginia it was totally something I could imagine. I thought the author capatured the feel of small-town West Virginia very well and immersed the story in a well-researchd setting. 

CONCLUSION

My favorite part of the book was how we got to see the world through Loyal’s eyes, as well as watching him and his father reconnect. Although the pace stayed consistant with the era and setting, I did find it to be a bit slow, hence the 3.5 stars rather than 4 stars. 

I would like to read more books by this author in the future. 

RATING

I’m giving The Right Kind of Fool 3.5 out of 5 stars. I received a complimentary copy the book from the publishers and wasn’t required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for sending me this book!