Just River has won the Silver!

Just River has won the Silver! ….

In the Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards! I’m so proud of this one, because the Wishing Shelf gang is so thorough and transparent. They send the books to tons of readers–real readers in book groups. Here is a little of what these readers said about Just River:
“A very original story, character-led, with lots of underlying humour. I enjoyed it very much. I particularly enjoyed getting to know Sam, the cross-dresser. I liked hie style and the way he lived his life.” Male reader, aged 55
“Although there’s an interesting plot here involving domestic violence, it’s the characters which jump off the page. I loved the author’s writing style; the flow is excellent, and the character development is spot on.” Female reader, aged 49
“I suspect anybody interested in small town America and the way a community works (or might not work) will find this story compelling. The author is a strong writer who’s in no hurry to tell her story. As a result, the characters are given room to develop, and there’s plenty of suspense, particularly in the second half.” Female reader, aged 41
“For me, Garnet was the most interesting character. I felt she developed the most in the story. Interesting mix of gritty (domestic abuse, prison, etc.) and humour; I felt the author pulled it off well.” Male reader, aged 56
“Worth reading just for the small town, American setting. Utterly enjoyable.” Female reader, aged 44

Thanks, IndieReader, for the wonderful review!

Thanks, IndieReader, for the wonderful 5-star review! Here are a few highlights. Click on the link for the full review.

“Sara B. Fraser’s prose is fluid, stylish and filled with exquisite turns of phrase. This may be only her second novel but she writes with immense confidence and a rare compassion for everyday people. There is truth and beauty in the pages of JUST RIVER and it deserves a wide readership.”

“Author Sara B. Fraser builds her fictitious town of Wattsville with great skill and populates it with carefully drawn characters who still cling to their hopes and dreams by the very tips of their fingers. It is a book of planning and failing, of expectations dashed by bitter reality, of trying to make the best out of the hand you are dealt. Less skilled authors than Fraser may have let the setting and themes, of the repercussions of domestic abuse and substance misuse, sink into a quagmire of joyless social realism but in JUST RIVER the characters never let their circumstances crush their spirit. They make mistakes. They have lucky breaks. They fall down. They get back up. They remain exuberantly human. The characters are messy and contradictory and unpredictable and completely believable.”

Cape Cod Times

It’s not The Times, but it’s a Times!!! Check out this mention of Just River in the Cape Cod Times!

“Fraser, a Massachusetts Spanish teacher who was formerly part of the Wellfleet arts community, reveals ‘the bleak and gritty truth’ for one ‘90s family in this novel set in a former mill town on the Otis River. The stalled, post-industrialized community is now rife with poverty, violence and substance abuse. When a young woman is imprisoned for defending herself against a violent boyfriend, her mom and her mom’s best friend plot to prove her innocence, but find some unexpected consequences along the way. Fraser has had multiple pieces of short fiction published and is also the author of the 2019 novel ‘Long Division.'”