Book Blurb:
"In a well-crafted debut, Smith-Blum provides the reader a ringside seat to the birth of the nuclear age...a beautifully written, important story...Tangles packs a punch and hits close to home." -Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Tracy Crosswhite Series
Oppenheimer was just the beginning.
When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, Luke Hinson, a brash young scientist, seizes the chance to avenge his father's death but a thyroid cancer diagnosis derails Luke's research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn. On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same treacherous trail, and her disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to Hanford's harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy.
A love story wrapped in a mystery, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual.
Tangles is a genre-defying must-read for our time.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/ntdEB1
Author Bio:
Kay Smith-Blum is a former business owner and Seattle School Board President. A lover of the natural world and an avid gardener, Smith-Blum founded Environmental Endeavors, the first greenhouse program in Seattle Public Schools. A fan of mid-20th-century history, Smith-Blum has penned two other manuscripts set in Texas, but the recent upheaval over leaking waste tanks at the Hanford site drew her in. A meticulous researcher, Smith-Blum felt compelled to write the Hanford story in a way that would educate and entertain readers. The result is her debut novel, TANGLES, coming December 3, 2024. Smith-Blum’s published short works may be found in multiple literary journals. A companion short story to TANGLES is included in the 2024 anthology (a compilation that Smith-Blum co-edited), Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women. Named the Western WA Woman Business Owner in 2013, Smith-Blum has lived in Washington State for four decades. She works out her writer’s block in her sons’ gardens and the nearest lap pool.
Editorial Review:
Editorial Review: “Tangles”
Author: Kay Smith-Blum
“Mr. Clark winked my cue, and I angled my shoulders to the spotlight with hands hidden in the folds of my swing skirt. My gaze floating above the crowd, I aimed for a cross between Billie Holiday and Rosemary Clooney, and to—just for a moment—forget where I was. My home-permed waves fell across my cheek, concealing the fresh bruise. The crowd wanted an encore, so we gave them Carmichael and Parish’s tune to dream on.”
“Tangles” by Kay Smith-Blum is an incredible, gritty novel with an unexpected plot and several twists and turns. The chapters revolve around two central characters, Mary and Luke. Right from the prologue, this reviewer was hooked into the story, casting aside other non-reading plans to focus totally on the narrative. The book start in the mid-late 1940s (Mary), but also moves through to the 1960s (Luke). The reader will need their wits about them – the plot is original and compelling, but also technical and intricate. The author has set up a mystery, but one with several layers. Why did Mary disappear? How did Mary and Luke know each other? Why are farm animals and marine animals afflicted with developmental issues? How does this all fit together? Questions abound, and continuing to scroll for answers becomes a compulsion. The timeframe of the narrative will provide context for many, but even those readers without detailed knowledge of the background history of nuclear development in post-war United States of America, will find “Tangles” an engrossing read.
As is so often the way when reading books set around possible government conspiracies and environmental outrage, the reader may or may not be shocked to find that story is based on historical facts (of course, with a disclaimer). The detailed research that Smith-Blum has undertaken to write such a novel is obvious, both in her description of the times and attitudes but also in her sophisticated (but highly readable) inclusion of scientific details. The content does not sugarcoat the ramifications of exposure to radiation, both for humans and animals; some readers who are expecting a different story may find such references confronting.
“We came to a turnout overlooking the river. Harry pulled in. From our vantage point, we could see the Yakima River join the Columbia and the growing spread of houses in the Richland Wye. The government had whipped up a trailer park for the latest influx of workers. Close to the bank, a few geese with goslings in their ranks poked their heads in and out of the river searching for sustenance. “Quite a few babies are not making it to term. And others aren’t making it at all.” Harry paused. “Paul and Laura Fletcher just lost their son.” Paul was a nuclear engineer who lived a street over from us. Their son was born over the weekend. Helen Hinson volunteered one day a week at Kadlec. She had mentioned two other stillborn babies just last week.”
Both the dialogue and the narrative immerse the reader in the characters’ lives. It is starkly apparent how so-called everyday people still had to manage their daily concerns while becoming more and more aware of what is happening around them. Smith-Blum expertly weaves both internal and external challenges into the plot – each central character has a personal challenge within their daily lives while also dealing with the overarching environmental threat. Although the story switches between decades, the pacing and transition is seamless, and the reader can easily follow the changes in time. Both story-lines are well-balanced, leaving this reviewer equally interested in both. There are secondary characters, however these mainly act as a foil to the narrative which centers on Mary and then Luke.
“With the new year rolling in, my belly swelled to the point of no return. Folks could have rested a book on it, and don’t think some didn’t try. The rest of me was the skinniest I’d ever been, as if the life inside me grabbed every bit of nutrition before my tummy could claim its due. My nesting mode kicked in, and my neighbor Lois loaned us a crib, saying with her girls grown she wanted it put to good use. My job with Harry had been suspended months prior, a small relief from the daily threat in The Area. Pregnant women were barred from Hanford, not that a woman-with-child could continue to work in any workplace in America.”
“Tangles” is the sort of novel that will stay with the reader, and certainly with this reviewer. When ordinary people are thrust into events outside of their control, the outcomes are often tragic, but the ending of this novel is satisfying and in keeping with the overall plot. There is redemption and also a sense that the characters have come a full circle. They (and this reviewer!) have the answers they seek.
“Tangles” by Kay Smith-Blum is an evocative story that contains mystery, a love story, and an environmental/scientific threat. That such disparate themes have been woven together into such a gripping novel is a tribute to this author’s writing skills. The narrative and the dialogue is authentic, and each character is completely believable in their actions and thoughts. The social attitudes of the times are also perfectly captured. An incredible book about a very austere and sobering time in history.
*****
"Tangles” by Kay Smith-Blum receives 5 stars and the “Highly Recommended” award of excellence from The Historical Fiction Company
Award:
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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