Reviews
"The Things We Do is a story written with heart that is not afraid to look at hard truths, and ultimately offers redemption through truth." --Bernie Siegel, author Love, Medicine and Miracles
"The Things We Do is a masterfully written story that kept me turning the pages. Kay Pfaltz writes about the individual to touch the universal, and to touch our hearts with compassion for those in trouble." --Judy Nelson, author Choices and Love Match
"Literary drama. ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK meets CAROL. This story has all the intrigue of a good mystery, combined with beautiful writing and the redemptive power of love."
C.W. Parker
From The Kirkus Review, reviewed December 7, 2017
In Pfaltz's (Flash's Song, 2015, etc.) thriller, a prison psychologist works with an inmate who refuses to speak.
Dr. Eleanor Hartley, head psychologist at a women's state penitentiary in Virginia, takes on a new patient dubbed "Jane Doe" who is convicted of murdering a drug dealer and a cop. This mysterious woman provokes a series of questions--Why would she kill someone? Why won't she reveal her name? And why won't she talk? Eleanor becomes increasingly infatuated with Jane and risks both her marriage and job to save her. The psychologist's husband, Lewis, feels disconnected from his patient-obsessed wife, and Cory, Eleanor's best friend, cites this as the reason Lewis cheated.
The novel comprises three sections and opens in October 2015. As the narrative unfolds, the reader learns of Eleanor's relationship with her patients, her crumbling marriage,and Jane's mysterious silence. In addition to a detailed portrait of Eleanor, Pfaltz introduces a seemingly unrelated plot-line that takes place in 2014 and is centered around Sylvie Marshall, an inquisitive volunteer at an animal shelter who suspects foul play by a cop, taking matters into her own hands to get to the truth.Ultimately, the two threads connect in the third act.
Eleanor's progress with Jane fosters a fragile but growing trust and romance between the women. Pfaltz tackles intersecting and diverging subjects--prison life, mental illness, animal cruelty, etc. While engaging, the multiple weighty topics hobble the storytelling. The characters, however, are dynamic, fleshed out with compelling detail.Even minor cast members shine, like Shina Jones, a savvy inmate who tries to regain control over her life by expanding her vocabulary.
Complicated and compelling, [. . . ].
From Foreword Review, reviewed April 19, 2018
The Things We Do is much more than a murder mystery; it's an examination of what constitutes freedom and confinement.
Kay Pfaltz's unconventional murder mystery The Things We Do insightfully explores the motives behind murder and other violent acts.
Early on, the book identifies the person responsible for the two murders that drive its action, though the criminal's name is unknown, and she no longer speaks. This sets the scene for an unusual book from the start.
Action is divided into three parts, with the first introducing the convicted killer, a Jane Doe who murdered a police officer and a known drug dealer, shooting both in the heart and face.Jane confessed to her crimes in court before falling silent. It's prison psychologist Eleanor Hartley's job to discover the motives for her murders as well as her volitional muteness. The novel's second section introduces a separate set of characters, including animal activist Sylvie Marshall and Weedy, the beagle she rescues from death in a testing lab. The third act ties the first two together. [...]
Elements of the story receive the detailed treatment they deserve. For instance, Pfaltz paints a vivid picture of penitentiary life. She portrays the inmates and employees not as societal stereotypes, but as real people with many of the same dreams and desires as everyone else. By delving into the day-to-day doings and thoughts of some of the inmates, the novel does an excellent job of illustrating how people's mindsets and mental illnesses can be more imprisoning than steel bars.
In her author's note, Pfaltz explains some of the research and reasoning that went into the book. This unconventional afterword offers some valuable insights into her writing process and her passion for animal welfare, making it worth reading--something that can also be said for the book as a whole.
Indeed, The Things We Do is much more than a murder mystery. It's an examination of what constitutes confinement, ending on a hopeful note that anyone can find freedom through love for others--and for themselves.
Reviewed April 19, 2018