Review of Deceptive Calm
Posted: 04 Jul 2025, 15:55
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]
“Deceptive Calm” is a wonderfully paced historical fiction novel which begins in the turbulent South of the 1960s and 1970s and transports the reader through the main character’s teen and college years, career successes, and marriage. Topics of racism, injustice, social rejection, personal identity, and sex are thoughtfully discussed in the novel. The main character, Vanessa, is a young orphan who is reared in Saint Paul’s Orphanage for Black children in Charleston, South Carolina. In the beginning of the novel, the reader is provided with an accurate depiction of the turmoil and injustice prevailing in the 1960’s. The author continues to portray accurate descriptions of time and social periods as the story unfolds and the setting moves from the deep south to the west coast.
The basic storyline involves Vanessa; her best friend, Trisha; and Vanessa’s husband Tod. Secondary characters include Vanessa’s first love, Barry, and the nun who raised her, Sister Rosalie. The characters are fully developed and the author successfully provides the reader with feelings of hate, love, social injustice and mistreatment. In the beginning of the book, Vanessa is in her teen years, has a boyfriend, and is planning to go to college. She and her boyfriend go to separate colleges and seek separate careers. Vanessa is very light skinned and changes her identity, identifying as white. As the story unfolds, Vanessa embarks on her career as a white woman, is very driven and successful, and ends up as anchor of a news broadcast. Vanessa is at the top of her game. Throughout the years, she and Trisha remain good friends. Vanessa marries Tod, playboy and son of a prominent family in San Francisco. However, after the wedding,Tod shows his true evil self, becoming cruel and abusive. As the story unfolds, the author continues to introduce character traits and struggles that enhance the different personalities of each character.
“Deceptive Calm” covers a wide variety of topics which the characters faced during the story. Vanessa dealt with issues of identity, workplace discrimination as a woman, loss of love, and fear and resiliency. Her friend Trisha shows difficulty in being a single, career woman and discrimination as an unmarried woman during this time of American History. Sister Rosalie shows strength as a black woman in the South and her infinite love for the orphan she had raised. Tod instills the reader with a sense of dislike from the beginning of the introduction of his character, and through Barry we see the pressure of family on choice of profession and marriage partner
A few minor proof-reading errors occur during the last few chapters of the book. There is strong use of profanity, sexual language, and racial slurs. Therefore, it should be recommended for the mature adult reader. Two negatives in the novel are the continued historical pieces provided by Sister Rosalie in the beginning of the book and, secondly, the ending of the book. The ending of the story is rushed and could be easily expanded to provide the reader with a greater sense of closure with the characters.
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Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“Deceptive Calm” is a wonderfully paced historical fiction novel which begins in the turbulent South of the 1960s and 1970s and transports the reader through the main character’s teen and college years, career successes, and marriage. Topics of racism, injustice, social rejection, personal identity, and sex are thoughtfully discussed in the novel. The main character, Vanessa, is a young orphan who is reared in Saint Paul’s Orphanage for Black children in Charleston, South Carolina. In the beginning of the novel, the reader is provided with an accurate depiction of the turmoil and injustice prevailing in the 1960’s. The author continues to portray accurate descriptions of time and social periods as the story unfolds and the setting moves from the deep south to the west coast.
The basic storyline involves Vanessa; her best friend, Trisha; and Vanessa’s husband Tod. Secondary characters include Vanessa’s first love, Barry, and the nun who raised her, Sister Rosalie. The characters are fully developed and the author successfully provides the reader with feelings of hate, love, social injustice and mistreatment. In the beginning of the book, Vanessa is in her teen years, has a boyfriend, and is planning to go to college. She and her boyfriend go to separate colleges and seek separate careers. Vanessa is very light skinned and changes her identity, identifying as white. As the story unfolds, Vanessa embarks on her career as a white woman, is very driven and successful, and ends up as anchor of a news broadcast. Vanessa is at the top of her game. Throughout the years, she and Trisha remain good friends. Vanessa marries Tod, playboy and son of a prominent family in San Francisco. However, after the wedding,Tod shows his true evil self, becoming cruel and abusive. As the story unfolds, the author continues to introduce character traits and struggles that enhance the different personalities of each character.
“Deceptive Calm” covers a wide variety of topics which the characters faced during the story. Vanessa dealt with issues of identity, workplace discrimination as a woman, loss of love, and fear and resiliency. Her friend Trisha shows difficulty in being a single, career woman and discrimination as an unmarried woman during this time of American History. Sister Rosalie shows strength as a black woman in the South and her infinite love for the orphan she had raised. Tod instills the reader with a sense of dislike from the beginning of the introduction of his character, and through Barry we see the pressure of family on choice of profession and marriage partner
A few minor proof-reading errors occur during the last few chapters of the book. There is strong use of profanity, sexual language, and racial slurs. Therefore, it should be recommended for the mature adult reader. Two negatives in the novel are the continued historical pieces provided by Sister Rosalie in the beginning of the book and, secondly, the ending of the book. The ending of the story is rushed and could be easily expanded to provide the reader with a greater sense of closure with the characters.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon