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A review by donnaeve
Desperation Road by Michael Farris Smith
5.0
I received an ARC from the writer himself, and I thank him for letting me have an early copy. This was NOT in exchange for a review! (I'm just doing one because the book was so good)
This is a tough story with damaged characters, some simply wanting to get on with their lives, some looking to only make trouble, and some trying to keep people out of that trouble.
It's a complex story, about a young mother (Maben) and her child (Annalee) who have nothing much going for them. They are about as destitute as two people can be, and then the mother, Maben commits a crime when she's put into an unthinkable situation, and as if life wasn't hard enough already, they are now truly on the run.
It's about a man named Russell Gaines who gets out of prison and two other men, brothers, who seemed to have spent the entire time he was there waiting on him to be sprung so they could make his life miserable - and they try really hard to do that. They believe he hasn't paid enough for doing what he did their little brother.
These two characters, Russell and Maben, find themselves strangely connected by way of their actions and circumstances, and it all boils down to - what will they do?
MFS writes with a unique voice. I liked the way he had his characters - particularly Russell - speak and think in a way that tells you all you need to know about them. His writing is effortless and flows along as easy as the country back roads of Mississippi where his characters spend a lot of time. There's a naturalness to it, a down home, back porch feeling as good and comfortable as worn out blue jeans and a soft t-shirt.
I had NO idea how this book was going to end. I was hopeful, but I really didn't know - until I read the last page. The story will have you guessing, right up until the end.
This is a tough story with damaged characters, some simply wanting to get on with their lives, some looking to only make trouble, and some trying to keep people out of that trouble.
It's a complex story, about a young mother (Maben) and her child (Annalee) who have nothing much going for them. They are about as destitute as two people can be, and then the mother, Maben commits a crime when she's put into an unthinkable situation, and as if life wasn't hard enough already, they are now truly on the run.
It's about a man named Russell Gaines who gets out of prison and two other men, brothers, who seemed to have spent the entire time he was there waiting on him to be sprung so they could make his life miserable - and they try really hard to do that. They believe he hasn't paid enough for doing what he did their little brother.
These two characters, Russell and Maben, find themselves strangely connected by way of their actions and circumstances, and it all boils down to - what will they do?
MFS writes with a unique voice. I liked the way he had his characters - particularly Russell - speak and think in a way that tells you all you need to know about them. His writing is effortless and flows along as easy as the country back roads of Mississippi where his characters spend a lot of time. There's a naturalness to it, a down home, back porch feeling as good and comfortable as worn out blue jeans and a soft t-shirt.
I had NO idea how this book was going to end. I was hopeful, but I really didn't know - until I read the last page. The story will have you guessing, right up until the end.