Book Review by Dana Taylor

Rea Nolan Martin is not an ordinary writer, she is an extraordinary writer. Her progression as an esoteric visionary author (Mystic Tea, The Anesthesia Game) has been interesting to watch. Her new release, Sunnyside Up, takes her multidimensional writing to a new level. The novel revolves around the Somers sisters, Adelaide and Felicity, who run the Sunnyside Up Funeral Home of Outskirt, Kentucky. At first glance it appears Adelaide is the hard worker, trying to keep the 150 year old family business going while her sister, “Flitty,” is too fanciful and downright “touched” to be much good. Martin excels at writing engaging characterization, revealing Adelaide’s battered emotional state in her own words and thoughts. Kentucky colors the words and, indeed, it feels like maybe we’ve dropped into a macabre Mayberry.

Things are not as they seem. Felicity and Adelaide are caught up in a karmic connection, light and darkness spinning through time. It takes a while to figure out exactly what happened between these two. Layers of reality weave around them. Other characters who make up the tapestry of their lives ebb and flow. Mother, Julian (the forbidden love), assorted ghostly relatives, teachers and counselors all push the sisters to a climatic final reckoning.

What makes this a delight to read is the quirky humor laced throughout, including zany obituaries of the various family members now hanging out in the graveyard. Addie likes a good smoke and shot of whiskey. Flitty wears bizarre clothes conjured from the ether. By the end, Martin rips the veil between the earthly and heavenly realms. By facing their most traumatic moments, the sisters finally see deep truths and make their peace.

Sunnyside Up is a unique and entertaining tale. Rea Nolan Martin continues to the pave way in the genre of visionary writing. Now available is several formats at Amazon.