Faces behind the stones reviewed by Dr. Fran Orenstein

Faces Behind The Stones by Fran Lewis World Castle Publishing, 2012 Faces Behind The Stones is a unique collection of seven short vignettes, based on true stories, narrated from the afterlife. Each character speaks from the grave; some to justify themselves and their deaths, some to send a message to help the living, and others to confess their own shortcomings past and present. MJ believes she has a happy marriage and a good life, until reality rears its snake-head and the past rushes in to join in the final blow that places her under the headstone marking her existence. Ms. Lewis presents a terrifying picture of a marriage gone wrong, deception, and the price a person may pay for long-forgotten past deeds. She also speaks to the very real abuse people can experience in nursing homes, a current topic of today. Virginia, a naïve, honest teacher experiences an all too common abuse of power that destroys her career and her life. Railroaded by a cruel, power-mad administrator, Virginia learns too late that the good don’t always win. The most tragic death of all is probably the suicide of a child that could have been prevented. The first story belongs to Belinda, a teen with a poor self-image, bullied by the popular girls, lacking a social life, and with no one to turn to for help. The second story is John’s, a teen neglected all his short life by his wealthy, hedonistic parents, who have mapped out his life and care nothing for the person they bully to conform to their image of a son. These tales are stark reminders of disservice done to the children left to founder on their own, as they fall deeper and deeper in depression until they lie beneath the stone. Tom’s story is a murder mystery of identical twins, and the lucrative business of selling body parts. Who actually lies beneath the stone is the twist to this unusual tale of good and evil in the medical profession. In another murder mystery we meet Katie, a woman who thought she had it all, a good marriage, a devoted husband, and a trusted best friend, until a double twist of fate sends her to the grave, but not alone. The last voice from the grave cries out. When Don finally realizes why no one will listen, why they think he’s paranoid, and what is really happening, it is too late. The past catches up with Don in a conspiracy that winds and twists like the coils of a snake until it crushes him. The fact that these seven stories are based on truth, this novella presents a stark and disturbing reality that could happen to people we know and to us. Reviewed by Dr. Fran Orenstein, author and poet, Tampa Bay, Florida.