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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
You can find more of my reviews at meganpareja.com.
Joshilyn Jackson has a really offbeat, quirky way of writing (thinking?) that really appealed to me in this book, and made the story seem a bit more interesting than it actually was, upon reflection. Actually, I think it was a pretty interesting story, and I might have liked it in the end even more if it hadn’t felt so disjointed and confusing in some parts. The writing felt a little manipulative at some points, in that it was deliberately jumbled to confuse the reader and make the truth more dramatic.
The story is about an adult woman, Arlene, who fled her deep Southern hometown a decade ago for Chicago and hasn’t returned, despite her family’s pleading. Something bad went down that caused her to flee, and we find out pretty early on what that was. But of course, there’s more to the story, and if Arlene (“Lena”) is going to go through any sort of interesting character arc, she’s going to have to get back home and face her demons.
One thing I loved about this book was the relationship between Lena and her boyfriend, Burr. Actually, it wasn’t the relationship, necessarily, because I thought that was a little messed up. I kept wondering why Burr stuck around so long to deal with Lena’s constantly keeping him at arm’s length. But it gave me a lot to think about in terms of the way people in different regions of the country address race. Burr was black, and Lena was white, and while this was mostly a non-issue within their circle at home, it became a topic only when the couple decided to return to Lena’s hometown.
In terms of the central mystery, there’s a lot to unravel before we get to the truth, even though it seems pretty straightforward at first. Instead, the twists turn up something a lot less plausible, but I still enjoyed reading through them, nonetheless. I didn’t love this novel, and I didn’t hate it. I enjoyed it as I was reading, expected perhaps a little more from it (I’d heard such great things), and probably won’t remember much about it a couple months down the road.
Joshilyn Jackson has a really offbeat, quirky way of writing (thinking?) that really appealed to me in this book, and made the story seem a bit more interesting than it actually was, upon reflection. Actually, I think it was a pretty interesting story, and I might have liked it in the end even more if it hadn’t felt so disjointed and confusing in some parts. The writing felt a little manipulative at some points, in that it was deliberately jumbled to confuse the reader and make the truth more dramatic.
The story is about an adult woman, Arlene, who fled her deep Southern hometown a decade ago for Chicago and hasn’t returned, despite her family’s pleading. Something bad went down that caused her to flee, and we find out pretty early on what that was. But of course, there’s more to the story, and if Arlene (“Lena”) is going to go through any sort of interesting character arc, she’s going to have to get back home and face her demons.
One thing I loved about this book was the relationship between Lena and her boyfriend, Burr. Actually, it wasn’t the relationship, necessarily, because I thought that was a little messed up. I kept wondering why Burr stuck around so long to deal with Lena’s constantly keeping him at arm’s length. But it gave me a lot to think about in terms of the way people in different regions of the country address race. Burr was black, and Lena was white, and while this was mostly a non-issue within their circle at home, it became a topic only when the couple decided to return to Lena’s hometown.
In terms of the central mystery, there’s a lot to unravel before we get to the truth, even though it seems pretty straightforward at first. Instead, the twists turn up something a lot less plausible, but I still enjoyed reading through them, nonetheless. I didn’t love this novel, and I didn’t hate it. I enjoyed it as I was reading, expected perhaps a little more from it (I’d heard such great things), and probably won’t remember much about it a couple months down the road.
Wow. This was my first Joshilyn Jackson read and I will definitely be back for more. This book had so many plot twists and the final one left me completely floored. If you want a book summary, read the Goodreads description. That's not what I do.
I will say this: there's a rape and a murder and the book enchantingly takes you backwards and forwards through time and gives you just enough pieces to the puzzle in each chapter to keep you turning the page to try and figure out what's going on. And then when it's all revealed in that last chapter, all you can say is "wait....WHAT?"
A page-turner til the end.
I will say this: there's a rape and a murder and the book enchantingly takes you backwards and forwards through time and gives you just enough pieces to the puzzle in each chapter to keep you turning the page to try and figure out what's going on. And then when it's all revealed in that last chapter, all you can say is "wait....WHAT?"
A page-turner til the end.
I enjoyed this book, but it did not quite live up to all the hype that I had heard prior to reading it. I liked the occasional plot twists, but I felt that male characters could have been better developed.
I should disclose that this is the third audio book I've ever listened to and that I've hated every single one of them. So either audio books are just not my thing or I can't pick a good one.
The narrator was great but I just couldn't wait for the story to end. I was surprised by this since I really enjoyed Joshilyn Jackson's latest book, Backseat Saints. The main character, Arlene/Lena, grated on my nerves with all the details about her inability to tell a lie. And her relationship with her boyfriend is hard to believe...what 29 year old man would put up with dating someone for 2 years without ever having sex?!
The narrator was great but I just couldn't wait for the story to end. I was surprised by this since I really enjoyed Joshilyn Jackson's latest book, Backseat Saints. The main character, Arlene/Lena, grated on my nerves with all the details about her inability to tell a lie. And her relationship with her boyfriend is hard to believe...what 29 year old man would put up with dating someone for 2 years without ever having sex?!
Joshilyn Jackson has popped up on my Goodreads feed quite a lot over the years, and even more so on social media lately with her latest novel: Someone Else's Love Story. I thought I'd start with her first book, and it did not disappoint. It grabbed me from the first pages and didn't let go. It's a little bit family drama, a little bit murder-mystery with a dash of humor. Super quick and powerful read.
I loved the way the storyline kept me guessing all the way through. Even at the end, I still wasn't sure exactly what really happened.
Pretty good. Reminds of of the movies "Hope Floats" & "Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood", course with deeper, darker issues.
I really enjoyed the audio narration of this. I enjoyed some parts of this story more than others. For example, there were many times that I was uncomfortable with how race was discussed. I felt like the main character's partner's race was used as a way to provoke and not treated as his own individual person. Such as when Lena wanted to take Burr to her relative's retirement party just to piss off her racist family with no consideration of how uncomfortable he would be in that situation. It wasn't even a factor that was brought up at all. It was off-putting for me. But at the same time, is this because the author is tone-deaf regarding race or was it because this is who the character was and it was meant to feel awkward and uncomfortable. I did enjoy the story though and I'm likely to read more books by this author.
"There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel's, high school quarterbacks, big tits, and also Jesus. I left one back there myself, back in Possett. I kicked it under the kudzu and left it to the roaches."