The Head of the Saint by Socorro Acioli - ESSENTIAL

Acioli, Socorro The Head of the Saint, 181 pages.  Delacorte Press (Random), 2014. $16.99.

Language: PG-13 ( 17 swears, 0 "f"); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG. 

Samuel loved his mother.  She was all he had in life.  His father had left them many years ago never to be heard from again.  On her death bed, Samuel's mother, Mariinha, made him promise to light three candles for her at the feet of the saints and to find his father.  Samuel's journey to fulfill his mother's last wishes alters the course of not only his life but the lives of everyone in the cursed and forgotten town of Candeia. 

This was a truly original and imaginative story.  It had the feel of an old-fashioned folktale.  The characters lives were so intertwined that there were continual surprises as the story began to unfold and the characters connections were revealed.  The author cleverly carried this through right to the ending.

MS, HS -ESSENTIAL. Gina, Media Specialist