Indelicate Deception
a novel
Coming April 5, 2025!*
*Retailers & Libraries: Order from Ingram iPage, Baker & Taylor, & Overdrive; Paperback ISBN 9781737847939; ebook ISBN: 9781737847922
Caty Robertson arrives in the world physically fragile and abundantly loved, destined to grow tall and strong like her parents. She’s raised in the glow of Daddy’s generous embrace of humanity and his entertaining stories about Caty’s mother, Lenore. But Caty doesn’t remember her mother, and Daddy is vague about the reasons for her absence.
By young adulthood, Caty creates an idealized vision of her parents’ romance in Berkeley of the early ’70s, a hotbed of social and political change. Lenore is a brilliant law student, eager to tackle every injustice. Roy is an injured Vietnam War veteran and talented chef who dreams of owning a restaurant. The lovers are unlike each other in every way—race, class, politics, and values—yet they soar high on their love, powering through money troubles, his PTSD, and her family’s disapproval of their relationship.
Why, then, does Lenore leave Caty and her father? The separation was amicable, Daddy says, and although they’ve lost touch, he’s sure “she’s livin’ a good life” wherever she is. Sensing more to the story, fearing a hurt greater than Daddy lets on, Caty undertakes a secret investigation to protect his feelings. As she begins her search in earnest, she uncovers startling, unimaginable details—but the facts will remain elusive until she can find her mother and demand the truth.
Indelicate Deception celebrates the unbreakable bond of love between a father and his daughter while unraveling the self-deceptive path of a woman who could have had it all.
Who was the real Lenore? What I saw on the outside might not reflect what was inside. I didn’t know if I wanted to understand her.
— from Indelicate Deception
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“V.S. Kemanis’s layered examination of what initially appears to be a love story at the Bay Area epicenter of the flower-power era morphs into a compelling mystery that asks hard questions about race and commitment. In alternating chapters, Indelicate Deception follows Caty, from the 1990s, and her parents, from the early 1970s, until the stories merge and escalate to a chilling conclusion… Caty’s pursuit of the truth…pulses with the page-turning urgency of a thriller. Characters shine with dimension and depth as Kemanis offers honest portrayals of human courage and deep flaws… The genuinely chilling revelation of what happened to Caty’s mother asks hard questions about what it means to be true to oneself and what we owe to those we love.” — BlueInk Review (Starred review)
“A woman’s quest for the truth unravels a web of secrets and lies that threaten everything she thought she knew about her family in Kemanis’ utterly absorbing novel… Themes of truth, perception, and deception run throughout, urging readers to question how much of our reality is shaped by what we choose to believe. The novel expertly examines how memory can serve both as a comfort and an obstacle to understanding, particularly within the emotionally charged realm of family history. A beautifully crafted and deeply moving story.” — BookView Review (Five Stars)
“Gripping, intense, and profound… Evocative prose and authentic dialogue enrich the emotional complexity of the narrative, blending moments of tenderness, humor, and heartbreak. Kemanis masterfully weaves emotional depth with nuanced character development… A captivating, thought-provoking exploration of family secrets and the pursuit of truth.” — The Prairies Book Review
“Colorful prose full of sharply-realized dialogue [and] third-act revelations will keep readers turning pages. An involving story of intergenerational discovery.” — Kirkus Reviews
“RECOMMENDED” — The U.S. Review of Books