Publisher's Weekly Review
Many writers shouldn't narrate the audio editions of their books; it's always a disappointment when a talented author who's not equally gifted as an actor decides to go the DIY route. Thankfully, that's not the case with Joshilyn Jackson, whose wild, dark humor shines all the more brightly when she narrates her own work. Like her other novels, this latest is set in the rural South-and the voices and accents Jackson creates for her characters are utterly believable. She ably brings to life three women at different stages of life: Ginny, a resourceful 45-year-old grandmother caring for her 30-year-old daughter, Liza, who suffered a debilitating stroke, and her granddaughter, Mosey, a 15-year-old girl who is determined not to become a pregnant teen like her mother and grandmother. When a backyard tree excavation unearths an infant's bones, all three women encounter family secrets that test the strength of their love. Jackson's high-pitched, fast-paced narration serves the story well. A Grand Central hardcover. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
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Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The author of Gods in Alabama (2005) offers up a mesmerizing tale of a family coping with the revelation of a secret that will change their lives. Just 15 years separates each generation of Slocumb women: at 45, Ginny has to take care of her headstrong 30-year-old daughter, Liza, a former drug addict who suffered a debilitating stroke, and Liza's 15-year-old daughter, Mosey, whom Ginny worries will end up pregnant, just as she and Liza did at that age. But Mosey couldn't be more different from Liza: she is gangly and awkward and terrified of getting pregnant, so much so that she constantly takes pregnancy tests despite the fact that she has never had sex. When Ginny has a local boy cut down Liza's favorite willow tree in the backyard to put in a pool for Liza's physical therapy, he discovers a small silver box hidden beneath it. The contents of this box rock the three Slocumb women to the core and threaten to undo the family Ginny has worked so hard to nurture. This is Jackson's most absorbing book yet, a lush, rich read with three very different but equally compelling characters at its core.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Jackson (Backseat Saints) has written an unusual Southern family saga revolving around three generations of lonely, hardscrabble Slocumb women. Grandmother Ginny is the glue that holds them together when her ex-drug addict daughter, Liza, has a severe stroke, leaving her voiceless except for a few vowel sounds. Fifteen-year-old granddaughter Mosey is the same age her mother and grandmother were when they had their daughters, but Mosey isn't like her forebears; she's scarcely been kissed by a boy. When Ginny decides to pull out the old willow tree in the backyard to make room for a pool to use in rehabilitating Liza, a shallow grave is uncovered, revealing a small skeleton dressed in tattered baby clothes and unleashing a series of events for which Liza seems to have an explanation-but she can't tell. The story is told in the alternating voices of the women as the mystery unfolds. VERDICT Liza, as the unreliable narrator, is used to perfection in this warm family story that teeters between emotional highs and lows, laughter and tears. Book groups will eat this up. [See Prepub Alert, 7/18/11.]-Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
