Category Archives: Kelly, Susan S.

Susan Kelly. By Accident. New York: Pegasus Books, 2010.

Laura Lucas has experienced what might be the worst thing a person can experience–the death of a child.  In this introspective novel, the reader follows Laura in her grief–numbly walking through her daily routines, feeling awkward at social events, observing the radical changes in her formerly settled neighborhood. Laura loves the neighborhood, especially the trees.  It’s a pleasant surprise when the elderly woman next door leaves and a young man, an arborist, moves in.

Elliot is lively, a little crazy, and he delights Ebie, Laura’s daughter–and Laura too. They take note of the nature around them and Laura laughs and confides in Elliot. Laura’s husband senses that Elliot could become a rival.  He warns Laura and her friend warns her, but it is not Laura’s infidelity that pushes the marriage to its end.

By Accident won the 2010 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2010, 2010-2019, Guilford, Kelly, Susan S., Piedmont

Susan S. Kelly. How Close We Come. Wilmington, NC: Banks Channel Books, 1997.

Ruth and Priscilla (Pril) were friends and neighbors for a decade. The women came and went in each other’s houses without knocking, they traveled together, their children played together, and they traded babysitters, advice, and confidences.  Pril knew that Ruth was worldly, a bit unconventional.  Despite their differences, the two women shared an uncommon emotional intimacy. Or so Pril thought.  When Ruth inexplicably leaves her husband and her home in Greensboro, Pril is stunned. She had no sense of Ruth’s unhappiness and no warning of what Ruth was about to do.  Pril’s private sorrow turns to alarm when Ruth’s husband subpoenas Pril to testify in the custody hearing for the children he and Ruth share.  As Pril prepares for her role in the case, she reviews her friendship with Ruth.  This is Susan Kelly’s first novel; posts for her later novels are also on this blog.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 1990-1999, 1997, Guilford, Kelly, Susan S., Piedmont

Susan Kelly. Now You Know. New York: Pegaus Books, 2007.

Two women form a friendship in college that sustains them even as it mystifies and troubles the others who know them. With the death of Frances, the more traditional of the women, Frances’ daughters unite with her old friend, the novelist Libba, in the hope of better understanding their mother, her friendship with Libba, and themselves.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC Library Catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2007, Kelly, Susan S., Mountains

Susan S. Kelly. The Last of Something. New York: Pegasus, 2006.

Twenty years after they met in college, three women gather for a reunion in the fictional coastal town of Dune Ridge. While they wait for their husbands to arrive, and keep their eye on an approaching hurricane, they tell old stories and discuss their lives.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC Library Catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2006, Coast, Kelly, Susan S., Novels Set in Fictional Places

Susan S. Kelly. Even Now. New York: Warner Books, 2001.

Hannah Marsh is excited by her family’s move from Durham to fictional Rural Ridge, N.C., near Asheville. Her husband has taken a less stressful job, the scenery is beautiful, and she’s looking forward to spending her free time in the garden. Hannah is surprised to find that Daintry O’Connor, a close friend from childhood is also living in the area. Hannah and Daintry had a complicated relationship growing up, and these complications only continue in adulthood as Hannah finds herself increasingly attracted to Daintry’s husband.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC Library Catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2001, Buncombe, Kelly, Susan S., Mountains, Novels Set in Fictional Places