The News Where You Are by Catherine O' Flynn

"The News Where You Are" starts with a walk, a revelation, and a death. Six months later, Frank and Mo, his eight year old daughter, visit the building that Frank's father designed, the building that will soon be demolished. Frank takes a picture of Mo standing in front of the building in an effort to prove, if even just to himself, that the building will be remembered.

This pattern of Frank feeling the need to remember the forgotten appears in almost every interconnected plotline: Why does Frank's mom act the way she does? Will someone ever want to purchase Frank's house? Is there any value in Frank preventing the demolition of his dad's last building? But the biggest question of all, the question that Frank investigates the most, concerns the glamorous Paul, the silent Michael, and the comedic Cyril:

How does Michael's death connect to Paul's death, and where does Cyril fit in?

Though loss is the focus point, this story isn't particularly depressing or sappy. It reads like a snapshot collection of pictures that switch between the past and present. "The News Where You Are" is a novel that executes reality very well. The characters easily feel like people I could've passed up on the street yesterday.


There is as much to look forward to as there is to look back at, and "The News Where You Are" does a beautiful job reminding readers of that.


Reviewed for Suspense Magazine by Tiffany T. Cole.