In the emotional “Passing Through,” a man returns to his childhood home, where he was wrongly convicted of a heinous crime 14 years earlier. As he ruminates on the events of his past, and searches for answers on his family’s whereabouts, he comes to terms with the transformations wrought through his time in prison, resolving that his “anger was just too heavy to carry”—and loses himself in grief, only to discover happiness on the other side. That sense of renewal surfaces throughout the collection, as Treakle takes his characters through intense experiences that both destroy and restore. In the title story, a devastating health development reunites a father and son, sparking dramatic endings—and new beginnings—while “My Father’s Promise” centers on a “sacred promise” a military dad makes to his son—and the surprising way he keeps it.

Treakle’s relaxed style evokes tranquility with stories that, despite some darkness lurking beneath the surface, retain a sense of purity and innocence. Immense timelines are traversed throughout, often entire lifetimes, but always with an eye for rebirth, as Treakle surveys our inner need for love in each offering—and probes what it really means to belong.

Takeaway: Serene collection that centers on rebirth after tragedy.

Comparable Titles: Temsula Ao’s The Tombstone in My Garden, Alexander McCall Smith’s The Private Life of Spies and the Exquisite Art of Getting Even.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+