Wow, this book was so good. Honestly, one of my favourite reads of the last year and that’s no exaggeration. I sat down late one evening to read this book and only planned to read the first chapter or so, and ended up reading half the book. If it hadn’t been for home schooling the next day, I reckon I would have read it all in one sitting! Also, that cover! 😍
It's the summer of 1959, and the well-trimmed lawns of Sunnylakes, California, wilt under the sun. At some point during the long, long afternoon, Joyce Haney, wife, mother, vanishes from her home, leaving behind two terrified children and a bloodstain on the kitchen floor.
While the Haney's neighbours get busy organising search parties, it is Ruby Wright, the family's 'help', who may hold the key to this unsettling mystery. Ruby knows more about the secrets behind Sunnylakes' starched curtains than anyone, and it isn't long before the detective in charge of the case wants her help. But what might it cost her to get involved? In these long hot summer afternoons, simmering with lies, mistrust and prejudice, it could only take one spark for this whole 'perfect' world to set alight . . .
I can’t even really put into words how beautifully written this book is. At its heart it is a mystery – where has Joyce gone and what has happened to her? Is she alive or dead? – but more than that, it is a social commentary of how women and, in particular, Black people were treated in America, during the 1950s. Ruby ends up discovering relevant information to the police investigation but is torn between wanting to help the police and bring justice for Joyce, and being afraid to, by virtue of how Black people were treated by police and wider society at the time.
Ruby was a fantastic character: intelligent and sympathetic, with a kind heart, despite the social injustices she faced. The Long, Long Afternoon is a beautifully written debut; fully engrossing, entertaining and covers hugely important social issues, which are still relevant today.
It's the summer of 1959, and the well-trimmed lawns of Sunnylakes, California, wilt under the sun. At some point during the long, long afternoon, Joyce Haney, wife, mother, vanishes from her home, leaving behind two terrified children and a bloodstain on the kitchen floor.
While the Haney's neighbours get busy organising search parties, it is Ruby Wright, the family's 'help', who may hold the key to this unsettling mystery. Ruby knows more about the secrets behind Sunnylakes' starched curtains than anyone, and it isn't long before the detective in charge of the case wants her help. But what might it cost her to get involved? In these long hot summer afternoons, simmering with lies, mistrust and prejudice, it could only take one spark for this whole 'perfect' world to set alight . . .
I can’t even really put into words how beautifully written this book is. At its heart it is a mystery – where has Joyce gone and what has happened to her? Is she alive or dead? – but more than that, it is a social commentary of how women and, in particular, Black people were treated in America, during the 1950s. Ruby ends up discovering relevant information to the police investigation but is torn between wanting to help the police and bring justice for Joyce, and being afraid to, by virtue of how Black people were treated by police and wider society at the time.
Ruby was a fantastic character: intelligent and sympathetic, with a kind heart, despite the social injustices she faced. The Long, Long Afternoon is a beautifully written debut; fully engrossing, entertaining and covers hugely important social issues, which are still relevant today.