Genre:
Contemporary Fiction/Coming of Age
Description:
“It’s
the summer of 1977 in a small town in Western Massachusetts. Physics
professor David Asken has just lost his young family in a plane crash
he somehow survived. Sixteen-year-old neighbor Molly Carmichael used
to be the babysitter, but now will be keeping house for him while he
recuperates. He’s quietly planning to end his life just as soon as
he can drive again, but may not be willing to wait that long after he
comes across his dead wife’s journal and encounters more hostility
than he had ever imagined. Molly is trying to cope with being known
as Tampon Girl, thanks to a sculpture by her notorious artist mother,
but she will have to deal with much worse after a drunken teenage
party.
Both
man and girl are going to have to grow up the hard way, and it’s
their unexpected connection — fraught with potential scandal —
that may just help them do it. This provocative coming-of-age novel
asks: Is there ever a time when doing the wrong thing might be
exactly right?”
Author:
A
native Floridian, Sandra Hutchison moved north during high school and
has remained there. Currently she lives in Troy, NY with her family
and teaches writing at Hudson Valley Community College. She has once
other novel, The Awful
Mess, available.
For
more, visit Hutchison’s website.
Appraisal:
The
reasons people read fiction and what they expect or hope to get from
the experience varies, not only from reader to reader, but sometimes
from book to book. For some, it is purely entertainment or vicarious
experience of some kind. Others want something deeper whether it be a
message, a thought-provoking story, or a trigger to consider the
world and their place in it. A good story will work on both levels,
entertaining all readers while providing grist for the mill to those
who are looking for something deeper.
The
Ribs and Thigh Bones of Desire
has the entertainment part down with a coming of age story set in the
late 70s. If that’s your era, you might find it evokes a few
nostalgic feelings, but regardless of age, if you’ve ever been a
teenager you’ll relate to the struggles of that time in life.
However,
odds are if you’re a reader who prefers to be entertained by the
surface story, that you’ll find yourself dragged deeper against
your wishes. Depending on your thoughts, beliefs, and opinions on
some subjects, the direction the story takes may anger you or
challenge your beliefs. Thought provoking might be too mild a term as
you’re forced to ponder many things including the reasonableness of
social norms, whether artistic expression should have limits, and
parental responsibility.
FYI:
Adult
themes and some adult language.
Added
for Reprise Review: The
Ribs and Thigh Bones of Desire
was a nominee in the Contemporary/Literary/General category for B&P
2015 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran February 9, 2015
Format/Typo
Issues:
A
small number of proofing and copyediting issues.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 90-95,000
words
2 comments:
Ah, thank you for the reprise! I'm sure I speak for many indie authors in being thankful for a site that offers us the great favor of a thoughtful review.
Our pleasure. We want readers who missed our favorites to have another chance to hear about them, thus the reprise reviews.
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