Quite a heavy and emotional read. Be Still by Tania L. Ramos

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Be Still

Written by Tania L. Ramos

Genre: General Fiction

(with a touch of the paranormal)

Book Synopsis

World-renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Silver has been through hell and back. After he and his wife, Shannon, lose their daughter when she is just three days old, their family is left shattered. The e?ects of the tragedy are devastating. Shannon with-draws from the family while harboring a dark secret. Jack emotionally abandons his wife and surviving teenage son, Travis, and dives into his work. But years later, on the exact anniversary of her daughter’s death, Shannon is killed by a speeding motorist under peculiar circumstances. As he grieves next to his wife’s lifeless body, Jack makes the fateful decision to lock away his faith and hope forever.

In a futile attempt to preserve his wife’s memory, Jack hides the bleak facts of Shannon’s death from Travis. As more time passes, the already-strained relation-ship between father and son becomes estranged. Desperate to alleviate his loneliness, Jack befriends the young and witty Dr. Christina Amity—while hiding troubling symptoms that seem to increase by the day. But when Jack receives a shocking diagnosis from Dr. Amity, everything changes.

Be Still is the poignant tale of a son seeking truth and resolution from an absent father and of a father, trapped between life and death, who must mend relationships and confront his own demons—before time seals all wounds for an eternity.

Fallon Christy's Rating

Fallon Christy's Review

Jack Silver is suffering from ALS. He isn’t really sore about the fact that his life is about to end, because he lost his new-born daughter years ago, and after that he also lost his wife. And when it comes to his son, Travis, they don’t have a normal father and son relationship as long as both can remember.

But when Travis is confronted with his father’s disease, their relationship is destined to change. While Jack is in the land between the living and the dead he is trying to find questions and forgiveness for the death of his wife and daughter, where he blamed himself for. Meanwhile Travis is struggling with the fact that he can’t just let his father go. While figuring out his feelings he finds comfort in his father’s doctor, Christine.

The book was quite a heavy and emotional read, though I didn’t cry. The part where Travis and Christine grew closer and closer together I found quite interesting and thrilling. But to be honest, the whole aspect about Jack, the development of his illness and his death, was too tedious for me. It was moving very slow, while the part of Travis and Christine was moving clearly faster, I had trouble switching when the point of view changed between Travis and Jack every other chapter. Maybe it is because I can’t relate to Jack at all, and I am not a parent. I also thought he gave up his life way to easily. If everything was written out of Travis his view and that story arc was elaborated more, I might enjoyed it better than I did now. The whole interplay between Travis and Christine was written beautifully and I really enjoyed that part.

But that is just my opinion, and maybe for somewhat older people it might be fantastic. Because I didn’t really get into Jack’s view on things I give this novel 3 stars.

Review Disclaimer: The book was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Maturity Disclaimer: It is quite heavy, it was even for me and I am 29. It discusses death and disease a lot.