On the Inside By Kim Cano

I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions  are 100% my own.

When Kristen is sentenced to seventeen years for committing a white collar crime, she’s forced to leave her husband and two sons behind.

Life in prison is a shock. She discovers that people aren’t always what they seem, love wears many faces, and friendship can make life worth living.

But as she struggles to survive on the inside, Kristen must face something even more frightening than her fellow inmates. . . herself.

On the Inside is based on true events, written from the authors own family tragedy.

Review for On The Inside…..

This book will hook you from the very first paragraph, as you meet Lakeisha, a mail scanner for a women’s prison. She reads the prisoner’s correspondence, checks it for drugs and dangerous devices, and delivers the mail.Lakeisha is drawn into the correspondence Kristen has with her husband. And in this way, the reader is also drawn into the story about life inside a correctional facility for women.  Kristen is the main character. She’s in jail for bilking her employer out of a huge sum of money. In the process, she lost the trust of her husband and children and virtually bankrupted them. They are bitter and wary of her, but she continues to send letters to her husband telling him how sorry she is. The only family member to write back is her sister-in-law, Olivia, who extends a lifeline to her with family pictures and events.We also meet a panoply of colorful characters from the flashy inmate, Lupe, to the prison psychiatrist, Megan, the warden, Laura, Kristen’s antagonist, Jess, and many others. Each person has their story, their trials, and triumphs, and you’ll find yourself rooting for all of them.

Ms. Cano expertly weaves in multiple points of view to make you understand and empathize with all of these people. Each has his or her own pain and sorrow as well as aspirations for a better future. Necessarily, some of the stories end tragically whereas others move on as best they can. But Kristen and the others learn to take happiness in small places and to accept what can’t be changed.

The story is uplifting and poignant. You won’t want to miss this. I read this in a single evening because I not just wanted to find out what happened to the characters, but I felt for them and laughed and cried and wished so much for them to be victorious in their lives.

Everything was resolved and there were no loose ends. Even though there was sadness leavened into the book, the overall message is joyful and shows the power of love, devotion, and forgiveness. You won’t be disappointed with this wonderful story. ~ Clare Chu

My Thoughts:

When I first started reading this book I honestly didn’t think I was going to like it. It seemed like Kristen was the type of person that lived in her own little bubble of pity and couldn’t fully comprehend what she had put her family through. She did the unthinkable in her marriage and seemed very callous about it. Like it was really no big deal because she needed to be held and feel loved, etc. I wanted to smack the crap out of her. But as I kept reading and the story and the parts that were letters to and from her husband as well as Kristen’s interactions with her inmates, my feelings began to change.

I started to feel for Kristen and see some things from her point of view. I started to see how her emotions were deeper than I first realized and that she had a lot of growing up to do. Being that this was based on a true story I was able to really feel empathy for all the characters.

I think Kim Cano did a great job with this novel of showing us the the “other side” of prison and what it might be like from the point of views of those on the inside.

Buy the book from….

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Kim Cano debut novel was A Widow Redefined, which tells the story of a young woman’s journey through grief and the transformational power of friendship.

Kim has also written two animal books: For Animal Lovers, a short story collection for kids ages 9 to 12 (also appeals to adult readers who are young at heart) 10% of the sale price is donated to the ASPCA® to help homeless pets.

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1 Winner will receive $20 Amazon Giftcard – Open Worldwide 1 Winner will receive a Signed Book from the author Open US/CA

 

Ending on Thursday 3rd April at 11.59pm EST

 

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