A commonly used device in novels is for someone to find a diary from the past written by their grandmother,  uncovering all sorts of juicy secrets about their family history. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve read like this recently. I suspended my disbelief the first several times I read novels with this same theme, but found it harder this time in Sarah Jio’s novel The Violets of March.

Most of the time this device works, and it did here too for the most part, keeping the reader engaged in the story and waiting to find out what happens next. However, I never really cared deeply about any of the characters. Emily, a recently divorced, successful writer from NYC, goes to spend a month with her elderly Aunt on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. There she finds her grandmothers diary and her journey begins. A decent read.