Book Review: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow: A Novel
by Francis Ray
Publication Date: Apr 01, 2002
List Price: $21.99
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9780312300500
Imprint: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
Parent Company: Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
Read a Description of I Know Who Holds Tomorrow: A Novel
Book Reviewed by Thumper
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow is the first book that I’ve read written by Francis
Ray. I hesitated to pick it up because it shares its title with an old hymn and
I thought it was an inspirational book. After I read the synopsis, I was praying
that it wasn’t an inspirational/fiction novel, and it wasn’t. I Know Who Holds
Tomorrow is about redemption, forgiveness and betrayal. It is a novel with
twists, turns and drama. I loved it! I started and finished this novel in one
24-hour period. I ate it up with a fork and spoon.
Madison Reed, a lovely and popular local talk show host, is unhappily married to
Wes Reed, a handsome and popular TV correspondent. Madison and Wes are the
perfect couple…or so it seems. After the death of their child, the Reeds have
drifted apart. Just at the point when Madison is about to ask for a divorce, Wes
is critically injured in a car accident while changing a woman’s tire. The woman
dies, Wes is fighting for his life, and the woman’s 9-month-old daughter, Manda,
is admitted to the hospital. With his last breath, Wes informs Madison that
Manda is his daughter wants Madison to take care of her. Wes’ best friend
Zachary Holman promises to look after Manda before Wes dies. Madison has to
contend with her husband’s infidelity, his illegitimate child, and his
mysterious, handsome best friend who has secrets of his own. Yep, it is good and
sticky.
The characters were fine. I liked Madison. She had to go through some stuff that
I wouldn’t have tolerated. Madison’s reactions and decisions made perfect sense
to me, which probably explains my like for her. I can’t stand stupid characters,
and Madison is anything but. But on the other hand she’s not exactly ultra quick
on the up take either. Early in the book, at the beginning of the unraveling,
she kept talking about how close her family was, yet when she’s in the middle of
a hurricane she says nothing to them. Although she had her reasons, I didn’t buy
’em. Her whole world is coming apart at the speed of light and Madison is trying
to keep that stiff upper lip? Naw. I would’ve been crying on somebody’s
shoulder. Other than that Madison was fine.
Zachary was cool too, despite belaboring the fact that he was withholding the
truth from Madison. This started to get on my nerves towards the end of the
book. But basically Zachary was a decent sort of fella. I would have loved to
have the basis for the friendship of Zachary and Wes fleshed out. It’s the stuff
that long running soap operas are based on.
An Author Ray has a nice touch, and is a wonderful storyteller. I noticed that
Ray didn’t use any curse words or get explicit with the sex scenes. The story
certainly didn’t need either and I didn’t miss them. At first the sub-plot that
featured Madison’s boss Gordon and Camille, a social worker, was a little
distracting. Any other time I would have been irritated, but the sub-plot proved
to be equally as interesting as the plot.
Loaded with drama and likable characters, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow was a nice,
filling, fast read.