(5/7/2021)
UNBECOMING is a novel I forgot I had among my many to-read piles until I came across it at a used book sale. Then I remembered going to see Rebecca Scherm at an author event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2016. So, better late than never, I read this novel and am so pleased.
Grace is a troubled girl who befriended and fell in love with Riley when they were still in grade school. She found, in his family, a family for herself to love and, more importantly, to love her. Grace particularly loved, and loved being loved by, Riley‘s mother.
As Grace grows older, she finds she is attracted, more and more, to deviant behavior, stealing. By the time she and Riley are in their 20s, because he loves her so much, she eventually pulls him in, too. When the two of them concoct a scheme to steal millions of dollars worth of items from a historic home in their Tennessee town, it is their plan for Grace to move overseas, where Riley will later join her. At the same time, though, she plans to meet Riley‘s friend overseas. And what a tangled web she weaves!
There is a lot more to the story, but I hope I haven’t already told you too much. Scherm leads you to conclusions you will not expect and may not even like. But you sure should like the story better because she does.
This makes me anxious to read another book by Scherm. But I searched the Internet and could find no information about her since 2016. I finally did find a sentence and some book ratings she wrote in 2020 on Goodreads.com. I hope that means she’s coming out of hiding.