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A review by jbeen21
The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
5.0
Thank you to the Goodreads First Reads giveaways program for an advance reader’s edition of “The Truth According to Us” by Annie Barrows.
I adored this book. Set in the small town of Macedonia, West Virginia, the novel follows three females through the transitional summer of 1938, during which local events will change each of their outlooks on life, love and family. Barrows expertly captured each of these character’s unique voices, through dialogue, written letters and physical descriptions.
At the beginning of the novel, twelve-year-old bookworm Willa realizes that Dramatic Events are occurring all around her, much to her displeasure. She decides to spy. Is her aunt Jottie in love with Sol, from the American Everlasting Hosiery Company? Is her father, Felix, a bootlegger? A thief? And why is he devoting so much attention to Layla Beck, the attractive young woman boarding with Willa’s family?
Unbeknownst to the Romeyn’s, Layla has been financially cut off from by her senator father and sent to Macedonia to earn a living by recording the town’s history for the Federal Writer’s Project. As she begins to visit the town’s prominent residents, she realizes that each has his or her own version of history to convey, and that it’s up to her to sift through their opinions to find the truth.
I loved the way Barrows incorporated Layla into the Romeyn household and then, through Layla’s written observations, gave us insight into an underlying, unspoken past event that shaped the Romeyn family’s relationships. And Barrow’s ability to capture the tumultuous emotions, coltish movements, and self-aware inner dialogue of a twelve-year-old girl were spot-on. The scenes in which Willa reads Gone with the Wind under the shade of the porch, and The Beautiful and Damned behind the kitchen door reminded me so much of summer days from my own girlhood. A sweet, unhurried ending sealed the deal for me; this was a solid five-star read.
I adored this book. Set in the small town of Macedonia, West Virginia, the novel follows three females through the transitional summer of 1938, during which local events will change each of their outlooks on life, love and family. Barrows expertly captured each of these character’s unique voices, through dialogue, written letters and physical descriptions.
At the beginning of the novel, twelve-year-old bookworm Willa realizes that Dramatic Events are occurring all around her, much to her displeasure. She decides to spy. Is her aunt Jottie in love with Sol, from the American Everlasting Hosiery Company? Is her father, Felix, a bootlegger? A thief? And why is he devoting so much attention to Layla Beck, the attractive young woman boarding with Willa’s family?
Unbeknownst to the Romeyn’s, Layla has been financially cut off from by her senator father and sent to Macedonia to earn a living by recording the town’s history for the Federal Writer’s Project. As she begins to visit the town’s prominent residents, she realizes that each has his or her own version of history to convey, and that it’s up to her to sift through their opinions to find the truth.
I loved the way Barrows incorporated Layla into the Romeyn household and then, through Layla’s written observations, gave us insight into an underlying, unspoken past event that shaped the Romeyn family’s relationships. And Barrow’s ability to capture the tumultuous emotions, coltish movements, and self-aware inner dialogue of a twelve-year-old girl were spot-on. The scenes in which Willa reads Gone with the Wind under the shade of the porch, and The Beautiful and Damned behind the kitchen door reminded me so much of summer days from my own girlhood. A sweet, unhurried ending sealed the deal for me; this was a solid five-star read.