There is something of an air of throwing too much at this story to make it tick all the proverbial boxes, with the emphasis on generational child abuse and rape, and yet it still manages to be a good story.

I didn’t finish this book unfortunately due to some of the content in the story so I wasn’t able to post a review of it. I found the subject matter just didn’t connect with me but the writing was beautiful and I can understand why a lot of people would enjoy reading this.

Set in the late 1960’s south, Dixie lives in Alabama with her mom, dad and older brother AJ. Her mom has one of those tempers that can get away from her and Dixie tries her best to not trigger her ‘other mom’ coming out. Her mom is not happy living where she has no friends and her inlaws only tolerate her. Dixie learns to become an expert liar. She needs to in order to protect her unstable family. The story is told from Dixie’s viewpoint, and the voice of this eleven year old comes through loud and clear. When Dixie’s mom finally gets the courage to tell her husband that she want to go home to New Hampshire, disaster strikes. Then Uncle Ray comes down to help out his sister.

Dixie is the kind of child the reader wants to reach into the pages of this story and yank from this life. This is a sad story at points, but it’s also filled with love and hope and kindness from some unexpected sources. It is written in flowing, deceptively simple prose and covers a lot of issues: alcoholism, depression, physical and sexual abuse, rape, suicide, and more. This is a story with flawed characters both innocent and others evil. There is enough goodness and charm to balance this dark but captivating story. I enjoyed the story told by Dixie, but did not enjoy some of the content. I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys family drama with a dark side.

A really difficult book to read due to some of the content, but overally a good read. emotional. good writing. not always a fan of a child narrator, but it works well in this book.

Simply amazing, this book will keep you thinking even after the last page. More than a coming of age story. This one will move you.