‘This Must Be the Place’ tugs at the heart

What happens if death comes calling before you are ready? For Arthur Rook, he’s left wondering what his wife’s last wishes would be after his beloved, eccentric Amy dies in a tragic movie-set accident.

Would she want to be buried or cremated? Would she want to let everyone know of her death or not? These questions send the devastated Arthur on a life-changing journey, guided by an unsent postcard found in a box of Amy’s keepsakes.

Desdemona “Mona” Jones never knew what had become of her childhood friend Amy after she settled in Los Angeles and began her film career. But when Amy’s husband appears on Mona’s boarding house doorstep one day, seeking answers to questions only Mona can answer, the memories of the girls’ friendship and secrets come flooding back, leaving Mona wondering if she will be able to uphold the trust Amy placed with her all those years ago.

Meanwhile Mona’s daughter, Oneida, has her own problems as she experiences the first taste of teenage love and struggles to understand her unfamiliar feelings as well as figure out her mother’s new attraction to the stranger in their house.

As Arthur and Mona go through the contents of Amy’s memorabilia box, they begin to piece together all the ephemera to discover Amy’s true life story, one that contains a secret that, if revealed, could change everything for Mona, Oneida and Arthur.

Kate Racculia’s debut novel, “This Must Be the Place,” is the heartwarming and yet heart-wrenching story of one man’s search to discover who his wife really was and the heartache, confusion and ultimately understanding that comes to all who knew her.

Racculia blends mystery and romance into the stories of Arthur Rook and Mona Jones, giving readers a coming-of-age novel sure to leave a mark on their hearts.