All That Was by Tanya E Williams Sentimental & Nostalgic, with Ghostly Twists!

 

All That Was by Tanya E. Williams is a sentimental tale of a young woman named Emily who can’t get over her parents’ death over a decade ago. She’s tried to go on, finishing law school and joining a firm, but when she lands a gig dealing with archival records at the First United Methodist Church of Seattle, supernatural forces align to help her deal with her grief once and for all.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this story was the character of the ghost of Elizabet Thomas from the early 20^th century.  Emily had found Elizabet’s journals, spanning many years, and found them hard to put down—and meantime Elizabet was reading them over her shoulder, adding commentary.  I very much enjoyed Elizabet’s crisp dialogue and typical Victorian sharpness.  I’d imagine that most people driving down the road would be delighted if they were to turn the radio station to hear this ghost’s perspective.  Curiously, the author chose this ghost, a secondary character, for her first-person POV (saying ‘I’ instead of ‘she’).  I’m not sure I’ve seen that done before (as Emily was a 3^rd-person ‘she’), but it certainly helped draw me in to Elizabet’s perspective.  I occasionally became impatient with Emily’s nostalgia, but it suited Elizabet’s ghostly character splendidly.

For an emotional, nostalgic tale of loss and love and happily-ever-afters, with a twist or two thrown in, consider reading All That Was. Ms. Williams’ intrinsic kindness and thoughtfulness come through clearly, and I especially recommend it for sentimental souls who wish a respite from the brutal intensity so widespread in the world of literature today.