Speed of Dark: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

Mary Em Phillips has decided to end it all after losing her beloved Mamie, who raised her; her husband, Jack, who has left her for another woman; and her only son, Petey, who has died as a result of a freak bacterial infection. But when Mosely Albright, a black man from Chicagos South Side, comes to her back door one morning needing a drink of water and seeking directions back to the train, her plans are derailed . . . to the chagrin of Mishigami (so named by the Ojibwe, also known as Lake Michigan), who has been trying to lure Mary Em into his icy depths in the hopes that she will save him.

Mary Em wants nothing more than to end her anguish. Mosely is searching for the love hes been missing most of his life. And Mishigamiwho fears he is dying from rampant pollution and overfishingseeks a champion.

A story of friendship, survival, connection and the unquestioning power of nature told through three distinct voices, Speed of Dark affirms a love of humanity that transcends all else, including race and background.

Reviews

Speed of Dark is a great read, a compelling tale, which examines grief and how humanity, hope, and kindness sometimes prevail against all odds, with even the forces of nature lending a hand. Its wonderfully textured prose will keep you turning pages.
Steven A. Jones, producer/director of Mad Dog and Glory and The Harvest

I absolutely loved it! Such diverse characters come alive, their lives linked in such intricate ways. Ricketts captures the yin-yang relationship between joy and sorrow, love and loss, gratitude and guilt. Wonderful insights.
T.R. Kerth, author of Revenge of the Sardines and syndicated newspaper columnist The View from Planet Kerth in Naples, Florida, and Huntley, IL

What a complex story of these characters connection to each other and to the natural world! The dialogue is realistic and rich, Mary Ems inner struggles are vividly compelling.
Betsy White, Instagrams @BiblioBetsy book reviewer and blogger

Author Bio

Patricia Ricketts taught English for many years in Chicagoland and Kansas City school districts. She received a lifelong love of music, the written word, the visual arts, and healthy arguing from her Irish Catholic household. She has been penning essays, short stories, poems, and novels for most of her life; however, after receiving a scholarship to the University of Edinburgh for creative writing in 2010, her passion for writing escalated. Since then, she has had short stories published in New Directions, The Slate, Meta, The Blue Hour Magazine, and Realize Magazine, and on NPRs This I Believe website. She is currently working on a new novel, tentatively titled The End of June. Ricketts raised two fine daughters and one stand-up son and has six beautiful grandchildren who all live in the Kansas City area. She lives with her partner, Peter Hurley, in Chicago.