The Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Be transported into a unique coming-of-age story you won’t soon forget.

Peyton Cabot’s fifteenth year will be a painful and transformative one. His father, the heroic but reluctant head of a moneyed Savannah family, has come home from WWII a troubled vet, drowning his demons in bourbon and distancing himself from his son. A tragic accident shows Peyton the depths of his parents’ devotion to each other but interrupts his own budding romance with the girl of his dreams.

 Struggling to cope with a young life upended, Peyton makes a daring decision: He will retrace a journey his father took at fifteen, riding his bicycle all the way to Key West, Florida. Part declaration of independence, part search for self, Peyton’s journey will bring him more than he ever could have imagined—namely, the key to his unknowable father, a longed-for reunion, and a calling that will shape the rest of his life.

BOOK REVIEW

"The Key to Everything" starts out in Georgia in 1947 a couple years after WWII. Valerie Fraser Lvesse introduces us to Payton Cabot, a 15-year-old, who lives in a wealthy dysfunctional family.  Payton wants a relationship with his father so badly, but his father returned from war a changed man. He uses alcohol to try to get rid of his memories. Payton is very close to his mother, Katie. During a family reunion, a crazy accident happened. HIs Uncle Julien wants control of the family's money. After his father died Payton decided to do a bicycle trip like his father did at his age. He hoped this bike trip is will allow him to get the love of his life, Lisa, who was sent to her aunt's for the Summer. 

It's a heartwarming story. Valerie's dialogue is well done. It sounded like a real dialogue in my head. Dialogue can make or break a book. 
The only thing I wish is more backstory on Payton's family especially his father and mother. 
The pace of the book was also well done. It flowed really well. The story wasn't slow and it was fast either. It was right in the middle. The characters were relatable. I know how it feels to really want a good relationship with your father. My dad and I never were really close. Now that I am older our relationship is slowly getting better.  Family can be wonderful, but it can also be hurtful too. 

I highly recommend this book. It is a perfect Summer read. 


"A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Revell. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own."


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Valerie Fraser Luesse is the author of Almost Home and the bestselling, Christy Award–winning Missing Isaac. Her third novel, The Key to Everything, was inspired by a true story. An award-winning magazine writer, Luesse is best known for her features and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently the senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, she has published major pieces on the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Delta, Acadian Louisiana, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana won the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society. The author lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave—and a mischievous orange cat named Cheeto.

Website: https://www.valeriefraserluesse.com/