Review Detail

Kate Hamilton has the best of intentions. She does. Being a Congressman’s daughter and living in the political hotbed of DC, it’s taught her a thing or two about how to sway the vote, how to make perception reality, and how to maneuver in and around difficult situations.

When a high school breakup turns into a scandal in the middle of her Dad’s current campaign, Kate and her family go back to his roots, leaving the urban environment of Washington, DC for the expanse (and dust) of Red Dirt, Texas. Kate is looking to make things right, even if she is miles from any civilization. She needs to make her ex pay for what he did, she needs some volunteer hours pronto to beat him for a coveted recommendation letter, and she needs to build her photography portfolio if she wants to get into a decent art program.

What she goes looking for and what she finds ends up being two very different things. Her proposal to volunteer at the library is met by hostility and sarcasm and a small case of mistaken identity. Her offer to volunteer at the animal shelter gets her thrown into a difficult situation, where she is out of her depth. Her attempt to match people together blows up into a disaster unto itself, and the people getting hurt are people she is starting to care about.

Through it all, Kate is a girl struggling to understand where she fits in with her family, the family business, and a town where she is the new girl. With her trusty film camera, access to a darkroom, and an unexpected friendship with Hunter Price, she figures out how to understand the soul of a town, a photograph, and even herself.

Set against the backdrop of high school football, age-old rivalries, and a heated political campaign, Kay Honeyman gives readers a riveting story with “Interference.” Her dialogue is strong and captivating. Her characters are made human with their flaws and their vulnerabilities, which also makes them endearing when we realize they really are doing the very best they can.