Keepsake Self Storage

 

Author Marianne Banks turned in her second effort with Keepsake Self Storage, which was released in July by Bella Books. Keepsake is an interesting story about love, realizations and truths.

It was a bit difficult to get interested in the story at first, possibly because Banks introduces so many characters to the reader in such a short amount of pages. However, I kept plodding through the pages to finally discover a strange, yet heart-warming story about May Hammond and the people in her life, namely her son, Earl, and longtime lover, Avola LeFebre.

There is a secondary story, one that is all Earl’s and begins with the discovery of a dead body in one of the units at the Keepsake Self Storage facility Earl manages. This secondary story is one that is almost unbelievable, unless you believe in  UFOs.  While this sub-story seems a bit far-fetched, it eventually makes sense and ties back into the story of May and Avola, which is a closeted story spanning more than 30 years.

Banks, the author of Growing Up Delicious, turns in a bittersweet story of two 70+ women who, while being in love with each other, can’t seem to find the courage to outwardly be together. Banks’ unique writing style allows the reader to fully understand the two women and the choices they’ve made in their lives that have led them to who they are in the present.

It did take more than a couple of days to get through this 228-page book, but I have to admit, I’m glad I did as the last page brought a warm and fuzzy feeling smile to my face.

Banks’ debut novel, Growing Up Delicious, was a Gold Crown Literary Society finalist in dramatic/general fiction. Banks has had essays published in “Eating Our Hearts Out,” and “The Women’s Times.” Keepsake Self Storage was edited by Katherine V. Forrest.