A beautifully written, compulsively readable debut that deals with the aftermath of a shocking act of violence that leaves two young sisters with nothing but each other—in the tradition of White Oleander, this haunting novel is a testament to the power of family and the ties that bind us together, even as they threaten to tear us apart
Mama was “no macaroni-necklace-wearing kind of mother.” She was a lipstick and perfume-wearing mother, a flirt whose estranged husband still hungered for her. After Mama threw him out, she warned the girls to never let Daddy in the house, an admonition that tears at ten-year-old Lulu whenever she thinks about the day she opened the door for her drunken father, and watched as he killed her mother, stabbed her five-year-old sister Merry and tried to take his own life.
Effectively orphaned by their mother’s death and father’s imprisonment, Lulu and Merry, unwanted by family members and abandoned to a terrifying group home, spend their young lives carrying more than just the visible scars from the tragedy. Even as their plan to be taken in by a well-to-do foster family succeeds, they come to learn they’ll never really belong anywhere or to anyone—that all they have to hold onto is each other.
As they grow into women, Lulu holds fast to her anger, denies her father’s existence and forces Merry into a web of lies about his death that eventually ensnares her own husband and daughters. Merry, certain their safety rests on placating her needy father, dutifully visits him, seeking his approval and love at the expense of her own relationships. As they strive to carve lives of their own, thespecter of their father, unrepentant and manipulative even from behind bars, haunts them. And when they learn he’s about to be paroled, the house of cards they’ve built their lives on teeters on the brink of collapse.
I am happy this is available on my Kindle.
This sounds like an incredible book. Glad you brought it out.
ReplyDeleteann
Wow! This looks like a very intense novel! It sounds like a good book for discussion. Thanks for sharing about it.
ReplyDeleteHere are my Friday Finds.
I've seen great reviews for that book!
ReplyDeleteI've read some good things about this books. Nice find!
ReplyDeleteSounds intense but good. Nice pick. Mine is at The Crowded Leaf.
ReplyDeleteI just got this in the mail this week! I'm definitely looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteWhoa. Sounds good but so sad. Interesting choice :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a really intense read!
ReplyDeleteWow - that does sound good. I hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteTHis sounds very good.......Ill have to add it to my huge TBR...:D
ReplyDeleteI saw this one the other day. It DOES look good.
ReplyDeleteWow.This sounds intense. I've never heard of it. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteI have this one on my TBR! Good choice
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