Behind The Cypress

By Yvette D. Stewart

Novel surrounding an elite African-American family of New Orleans that depicts how two sisters must forgive in order to live. Incest and murder are causes of an aunt's lunacy and abuse.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1973592177
• ISBN13: 9781973592174
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Jean-Marie and Sharmaine must search for hope

Behind The Cypress is the captivating debut novel of the talented African-American author, wife, and mother Yvette Stewart. Jean-Marie and Sharmaine Martin are two orphaned sisters who search for acceptance. Raised in the bitter care of their mother's sister, they are confronted with abuse, incest, and murder. Jean-Marie and Sharmaine must search for hope and strength within each other in order to rise above their cruel and present circumstances. Deftly written, Behind The Cypress is a thoroughly engaging and original work which is highly recommended reading.

Truly Interesting

As a first time author, Ms Stewart kept my interest for two days. I had to know what happened with these two sisters. I am looking forward to more works from this author. The cover was also a draw.

Healing Old Wounds

Sisters, Marie and Shar had a difficult childhood. When their mother committed suicide, they had to leave their home in New York and move to New Orleans with their aunt Pearl who assumed responsibility for the girls. In Yvette D. Stewart's debut novel, Behind the Cypress, she weaves a story of mental and physical abuse and also murder. Marie Bensen had a wonderful marriage to a wonderful man. Everything was going along well until Marie's sudden personality change. No one, even her husband, could figure out what was going on with Marie and eventually her aloofness drove them apart. In order to deal with her troubling problem, Marie tries to harm herself before finally revealing the problem to her sister, that she received a letter from their aunt Pearl who wanted to make amends with them. In order to move forward, the girls had to relive the past and learn to forgive. . The author alternates between the past and present as she explains the actions of the characters, and Marie begins her healing process. This was an admirable offering for a debut novel. The history of the characters was captivating and intriguing. There were some problems with making the transition between the past and present in that the change was sometimes abrupt. The ending, tied up neatly, was a little unrealistic in that the sisters were so forgiving so quickly considering all the abuse they suffered. I found this quick read to be a good first effort and look forward to reading more by this author. .JeanetteAPOOO BookClub