Georgie Haydock requests a four-month leave of absence to take care of her mom who is injured in a motorcycle accident. Returning to her hometown of Chimney Rock, North Carolina could be a refreshing reprieve from her demanding home-care nursing position, if it wasn’t for her mother’s incessant search for Georgie’s youngest sister who mysteriously disappeared at the age of four. It also doesn’t help that Georgie is harboring her own unresolved conflict from her past. Little does she know that a sequence of events will force her to face her fears once and for all.
Coupled with this gripping plot, DANCING ON ROCKS is not only the fourth “stand-alone” novel in award-winning author Senehi’s Blue Ridge Series, but also a wonderful addition to North Carolina’s history collection. Senehi’s ingenious use of third person omniscient viewpoint offers a perfect depiction into the world of a small town where everyone supposedly knows everyone and there are no secrets. Quite the opposite is true.
Though her narrative largely capitalizes on Georgie and her stoic efforts to lead a successful life while holding on to childhood haunts, Georgie is not the only one who is struggling for a sense of self-worth amid “skeletons in the closet” — a prominent theme replete throughout her novel. Senehi also opens windows into the thought processes of a handful of characters, both primary and supporting, who are caught up in the same complexities.
Set in the breathtakingly scenic Hickory Nut Gorge and its accompanying Village of Chimney Rock, the plot includes a skillful incorporation of the shops, restaurants, and lodgings that make up this quaint town, as well as the town’s rich history, which was largely unknown until Senehi “started a one-year journey” to research this area.
Filled with sadness from hardship set right at the edge of hope and love, DANCING ON ROCKS is riveting from beginning to end.
Reviewed by Anita Lock for IndieReader.