Southern Comfort & Steel Magnolias

Greetings Treat-A-Weekers,

So before you jump to the wrong conclusion, this is not a post about whiskey and the movie starring Sally Field & Julia Roberts. (Sorry to disappoint all 2 of you blog readers who were rooting for that post). This, post, y’all, is dedicated to my slow-cooked, journey to a wholly unexpected love of southern living — life in Houston, Texas, to be precise. And it is that specific love that in turn led me to my thorough enjoyment of the author Katherine Center’s latest novel, How to Walk Away.

As always, a little background for you. After our stint as expats in London for 2+ years (see [Modern] Brit Love post), my husband was asked by the company he was working for to move back to the United States to a state and a region of the country that I/we had absolutely zero experience with, Texas and “the South.” The first thing our American expat friends in London said when we we told them the news was, “you do realize that Texas is a red state, don’t you?” Now, I have no intention into getting into politics in this post [remember, these posts are supposed to be a TREAT!], but I will say that our friend’s comment may have given you a clue as to why it was with great trepidation and a whole boatload of stereotypes that I stepped off a British Airways flight into Houston, for the first time in my life, in late July swamp-hot heat with my husband and then four-year-old and one-year-old daughters with the intention of living there permanently. As someone born and raised in America (Ohio, remember?) who had spent the bulk of her life in the Midwest and the East Coast, it was crazy to me that I had not a single pre-existing friend in Houston. I remember posting on Facebook that we were moving to Houston and if anyone had any recommendations about literally anything (neighborhoods, schools, restaurants, hair salons — just the critical things :), to please let me know). Well, FB friends made introductions to their Houston-based friends, and surprise of all surprises, those people – strangers – all, to a one, became friends of ours…eventually. If that doesn’t speak to how awesome, welcoming and friendly a town Houston was [and this was 2009, well before Hurricane Harvey, when I understand people came together to help strangers like never before], perhaps this will…

The first person we got to know in Houston, our first true family friend, was Philip Alter, who our relocation company connected us with to help us find a home. Philip, as our realtor, went above and beyond the call of duty from the minute we met him. He would pick us up in his car from the Residence Inn where we were living in [until we moved into our furnished apartment rental, until we found a house], bring cold water bottles for us and actually kept our two daughters entertained/corralled (since we didn’t know of a babysitter at that time) once inside the many houses we viewed. He did this, for months, until we finally found a place in October and all the while he told us about his favorite restaurants, shops and neighborhoods in Houston and got really invested in showing us how much there was to love about the city. And after that, knowing we knew absolutely no one in Houston, he threw a dinner party for us to which he invited people he thought we would like and would like us! One of the people he invited was his dear friend and fiction writer, Katherine Center. So, in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit to knowing and liking Katherine personally, but I mean it when I say, that this is not the reason I am recommending her book. I am recommending How to Walk Away because there is so much in it that evokes the beauty, humor, simple pleasures and true grit of the south that I came to know and love.

What’s to love about How to Walk Away? First, it’s summer and I have never lived through a summer as swollen with conflict in America, in the world, and on the news as this one. Given that, I want something to read that is effortless and comforting, entertaining and hopeful, something that deals with struggle but has a relatable message that makes me feel better. How to Walk Away is all of those things and more. HTWA is set in surprise, surprise, Houston, Texas and is the story of Margaret Jacobsen, a young woman on the precipice of having it all — great career, perfect fiance, strong relationship with her parents and a bright future, when she is involved in an accident that changes her and her life irrevocably. Despite that plot, this is not a story about depression or tragedy; rather, it’s a story about building a new and different yet full and satisfying life, finding joy despite struggle, and becoming stronger in the face of conflict…something that many of us could benefit from. How to Walk Away is really about creating a new dream when the original dream is deferred or maybe even destroyed. Aside from the great messages of the story, How to Walk Away‘s characters are all (save one) very lovable and feel like people you may know. My favorite character, besides Margaret, is her semi-estranged sister, Kit, whose zest for life, crafts, Instagram, hatching a great plan, throwing a fun party and most importantly, her appreciation for delicious, varied take-out make her the prototype for the new friend I most hope to make in Boston. 🙂 Margaret’s interior designer mother is another favorite of mine as she is the extremely relatable, too honest, unintentionally hilarious, Type A mom we all know and find trouble empathizing with…that is until something happens to her in the book that actually makes her human. I also love the romance featured in this book — it is oddly both predictable and unpredictable. My Houston book club read Katherine’s book Happiness for Beginners and invited her to come speak with us about that book (which she graciously agreed to do) a couple of years back. When we were visiting with her, one of the things she said that stuck with me most about her writing was that she always likes to include nuggets of “deliciousness,” in her writing. Well, she succeeded in doing that with the romance that develops by the end of the novel — yay!

Before I give away too much of the plot, I will just say that How to Walk Away is the perfect comfort read. Reading chapters of it every night felt like stepping into a warm bath – it was easy, soothing, restorative and relaxing. Read it and you will see what I mean. Before I sign off, a few words about the pictures included in this post — the first is of my favorite porch chair in my favorite vacation spot — 30A, Florida with Katherine’s GORGEOUS book cover (so eye-catching and memorable!) and sweet tea – one of my favorite southern specialties. Other featured southern favorites of mine include magnolias that bloom as big as your head, a beloved porch swing (never saw one until I spent time in the south and laying on one and reading a book may be a slice of heaven) and fragrant gardenias that used to grow in front of my Houston home. Finally, here’s a cute pic of Katherine Center and me the last time I saw her at our Houston book club. Good memories, all.