yetanothersusan 's review for:

Vera Violet by Melissa Anne Peterson

4.0

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Don't let the title fool you! Vera Violet is no sweet flower and her world is no garden. Ms. Peterson has penned a raw, unfiltered view of the aftermath of logging on small towns in the Pacific Northwest. Really this story could have been about many coal mining towns or even some manufacturing towns. To further deepen the book's impact, the main character, Vera, leaves the ravaged PNW and her family and friends who are struggling with drug dependence, unemployment, and poverty to head east. She travels from rural poverty to urban poverty after finding the projects in St. Louis and teaching in a school full of minority kids. There was a bit of confusion as the story jumps quickly and frequently between time and place. It almost felt like the story was being pulled forcibly from the author. For me, this added to the realism of Violet and her struggles.

Thanks to NetGalley and Counterpoint Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.