Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek, 298 pages
Yet another example of how goodreads changes the lives of readers...authors hang out there too. Jayne found me, I found her book and devoured it.
Her book has been compared to Southern gothic writing from Carson McCullers and Flannery O'Connor, which I see in the way of the setting and the darkness in the story. But her crisp prose doesn't hide a thing. Young Ellie is growing up with a flawed father she adores, and a mother whose descent into madness is beyond disturbing. Her desire for everything to be normal propels her to be strong in the most unbelievable daily circumstances. In spite of the darkness that surrounds her, she is both tough and tender - wise beyond her years yet still innocent. I was rooting for her the whole way through.
Here there are no villains, just deeply wounded and misguided characters written in such a way that the reader alternates between sympathy and maddening frustration. I was incredibly moved by this haunting and powerful story which has quickly become one of my favorites this year.
5 stars
The End.
We must have similar tastes, because I loved this one, too!
Posted by: Kathy | October 16, 2008 at 10:23 AM