Dear Great Book Guru, We were at a rehearsal for Fred Stroppel’s upcoming TWISTED SHORTS at Sea Cliff Arts Council when someone brought up a new book about a family of revolutionaries and how they fared over the generations.Sounded interesting! Fan of Twisted Shorts................. Dear Fan of Twisted Shorts, THE HILL by Harriet Clark is her first novel and in many ways autobiographical. Clark’s mother was a member of the Weathermen and when Harriet was ten months old, her mother was the getaway driver in a bank heist gone wrong and two policemen and a security guard were killed. She was sentenced to life in prison and Harriet visited her for forty years. The story mirrors all this but focuses and fictionalizes the relationships she has with both her mother and those around her - friends and family. The Hill is the name she gives to the prison, and the novel opens with Suzanna - the daughter – being taken for her weekly prison visit by her grandfather. When he dies, she continues on her own because her grandmother – her mother’s mother - refuses to see or write to her daughter. Throughout, Suzanna is bewildered by her emotions - she loves her mother and feels loved but knows there are families devastated by her mother’s deeds. So, how can she herself forgive or by proxy be forgiven. As we go through the years with Suzanna, we see that her bewilderment and grief continue to grow. The novel captures the beauty and brutality that she experiences because of a decision made long ago and still - to this day - beyond her understanding. A painful read but highly recommended!