This debut is a triumph, Inga Vesper writes with confidence and careful thought out narrative that I have seen third books fail to produce. I can’t wait to see what she does next and will be waiting with excitement to read her future novels.
This book has dashes of The Help combined with fast paced crime, comment on women’s issues and racism all set in the backdrop of 1950s America. The long, long afternoon questions the validity of the American dream, poses an alternative narrative to those smiling white faces in the perfect family portrait.
Ruby is a black young lady, who helps out Joyce a middle class white housewife who leads and seemingly perfect life from the outside. Both women have lost their mothers, both women feel that they want more from their lives and a friendship is formed. This friendship drives Ruby to find out the truth when Joyce mysteriously disappears. The question of what happens to Joyce drives the narrative forward and has you turning pages to get to the end of this book in one sitting, but along the way emotions are revealed, new friendship and love is found. A superb novel, one that will stay with me for a long time.
This book has dashes of The Help combined with fast paced crime, comment on women’s issues and racism all set in the backdrop of 1950s America. The long, long afternoon questions the validity of the American dream, poses an alternative narrative to those smiling white faces in the perfect family portrait.
Ruby is a black young lady, who helps out Joyce a middle class white housewife who leads and seemingly perfect life from the outside. Both women have lost their mothers, both women feel that they want more from their lives and a friendship is formed. This friendship drives Ruby to find out the truth when Joyce mysteriously disappears. The question of what happens to Joyce drives the narrative forward and has you turning pages to get to the end of this book in one sitting, but along the way emotions are revealed, new friendship and love is found. A superb novel, one that will stay with me for a long time.