The Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library continues its Table Talk series on Wednesday, Feb. 19, with a presentation by Dispatch columnist and author Adele Elliott. “Friendship Cemetery,” Elliott’s first novel, appeared in September 2013 and has garnered positive reviews from readers since then.
Elliot brings an outsider/insider view of the charm and foibles found in the “quirky city of Columbus.” Narrated by the strong-willed, but naive, 18-year-old Emma Grace, the novel traces her search for ghosts in Friendship Cemetery — especially the ghost of her recently-deceased father. During this ghost-hunting, she draws in a group of misfits — eccentric characters who become her friends and help further her quest for knowledge and understanding.
“Elliott has created a wonderful three-dimensional lead character — a teenager on the cusp of adulthood who is not yet ready to cross that threshold. She is wry, observant, self-confident and questioning,” said Friends member Jo Shumake. “Like most teenagers worldwide, she is a critic of the status quo and is searching both for her past and future.”
Elliott has been writing a Sunday opinion column for The Dispatch since 2007, where she comments on current events, social issues and the arts. In a September 2013 interview with Aundrea Self, Elliot noted that her inspiration for the novel was the “beautiful, haunted and comforting” Friendship Cemetery and said that she “fell in love” with the city of Columbus after she relocated here following hurricane Katrina.
Table Talks will be presented on Wednesdays in February at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 Seventh St. N. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for those wishing to bring their lunch and socialize before the program begins at noon. The Friends will serve iced tea.
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