Wednesday, March 2, 2011

16: Backseat Saints


Backseat Saints is written by Joshilyn Jackson, who wrote Gods in Alabama and Between, Georgia and The Girl Who Stopped Swimming. The past three were all books that I loved. But Backseat Saints? Eh?

The story is focused around domestic abuse. I just don’t understand this (thankfully) and have a really hard time relating to it, so I struggle with reading it. The opening chapter was so far-fetched and weird and she shoots her dog (she lives) and not her husband, but then continues to eat and sleep and live with her husband AFTER she tried to shoot him (he never knows it was her). She finally takes off, leaves her husband and does a weird cross-country trip to see her dying father (who abused her as a child) and her crazy mother who now rescues abused women.

The story was choppy and I really never connected to Rose. I didn’t like her as a character – too mean and the way the new Rose was written against the old Rose was weird. It brings in some characters from her previous book, but you never get to know them – it’s just a quick description and then she moves on.

I really didn’t like this book. I give it a 5/10. I like her voice and her writing style, but this one was not for me.

(Weird sidenote: Joshilyn Jackson lives in Atlanta. While I was reading this I had a VERY VIVID dream that my friend Holly and I went to lunch with her and CRITIQUED HER BOOK to her face! And I woke up embarrassed but happy because maybe her next book will be as good as Gods in Alabama after my dream-critique over lunch!)

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