“Cynthia Kraack’s fifth novel, “The High Cost of Flowers” (Calumet Editions, $15.99) won the Best Literary Fiction and Best Contemporary Fiction categories in the 2014 Midwest Book Awards and rightly so. This luminous novel is so moving, so real, parts are difficult to read because this is the story of every family,” writes books editor Mary Ann Grossman in the Pioneer Press.

“The story is told from each person’s point of view, including Katherine’s when she is lucid.…” notes Grossman about the main character, her husband, and adult children. “Most touching is Kraack’s depiction of Art’s devotion to Katherine. Even when she rages and tries to hurt him, he loves his wife. He is one of the most interesting characters in this season’s novels by local writers.”

Read the full review of The High Cost of Flowers at Pioneer Press.