This is Where it Ends by Cindy K. Sproles Review

 

I was excited to have the opportunity to be on the launch team for This is Where it Ends by Cindy K. Sproles. Though the author is a new-to-me author and the book isn’t my usual genre, the book sounded intriguing.

An elderly lady, Minerva Jane Jenkins, nearing the end of her life is living alone on a mountain in Kentucky in the early 1900’s. She had promised her husband that she would keep his secret when he passed away thirty years earlier. She’d kept the promise all these years, and then suddenly her life is invaded by a newspaper reporter, Del Rankin, who heard tales of stolen gold. She is determined to keep her promise to her dead husband, though she then wonders whether or not there really is gold. As she nears the end of her lonely life, she begins to get to know this young man who she isn’t sure she can really trust. Is he there for the story or the gold? Will she remain determined to keep this secret or will she decide it’s better to share what she knows, though she isn’t even sure exactly what she does know?

I loved getting to know Minerva and Del, along with Satchel who is Minerva’s dog and has been her companion on the lonely mountain for years. We learn more about Minerva’s past through her memories and things she tells Del (and what she doesn’t tell him). It was sweet to see their relationship evolve.

I admit I did start wondering what would be worse, breaking a promise to share what one knows or constantly lying and deceiving to keep a promise one is not sure one should have made in the first place.

I was drawn into the story right away, though I did wonder how much I would enjoy reading about this old woman living alone on a mountain. But the book kept my attention, especially when Del joined Minerva on the mountain. The interactions between the two were realistic and heartfelt, though they could be frustrating at times, but there was quite a bit of humor too. Plus God’s truths were shared and Minerva’s faith was real, along with the struggles and questions. She imparted wisdom in a quirky old-lady type of way. I also loved that intrigue and danger were brought into the story when it appeared that there might just be someone else trying to find the supposed gold.

What an amazing story. Be prepared though, you might just need to have those tissues handy. Definitely a book I highly recommend.