I was excited to read a debut novel by a fellow UNC Asheville alumni such as myself!
Thank you Algonquin Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
This story is about Jodi who has just gotten out of prison after serving 18 years there. She’s faced with a tough battle to try and stay out of harms way, even though it’s seemingly proving itself hard to do. She’s traveling down south to make ammends with someone connected to her previous crime before she was arrested. Along the way, she meets and falls in love with Miranda. This book touches on drugs, domestic abuse, lgbtq relationships, fracking, prison life, you name it! Prepare to get your heart torn in a million pieces. It’s focus on heavy life topics is like none other.
This a lyrical novel written with beautiful prose. Mesha has an amazing talent for writing! It was elegant to read, but I felt that the storyline itself could have been a bit stronger. This novel brings up topics that I feel most other writers would purposefully steer away from, and for that I give immense credit and gratitude to Mesha. This one is going to spark some great conversation, I am sure of it. Also, be sure to check out her interview from NPR to get a background of how this story came about (it’s super cool).
3/5 Stars
Live, Read, And Prosper 