1971—In the tiny, backward town of Tulma, Tennessee, optimistic, bookish Caroline Carson unwittingly finds herself in the middle of a forbidden romance. Severely neglected by her family and forced to flee Tulma to protect her secrets, Caroline’s young life comes crashing down around her. She finds refuge in a new town, but the past always has a way of stretching around time and stirring up trouble.
4.5+ stars!!
Hmmm where to begin? Oh, a couple of warnings first.
1. There is a rape scene in the book. Though it isn’t graphic, you are aware it happens, and personally I think the effect was twice as brutal.
2. This book is NOT for everybody. I think you have to be in a certain mood to read this story. For one, the setting is historical, in the 1970s, so some traditions you may not resonate with. Another is, if you are easily offended by racial slurs and such, you may have some difficulty getting through.
3. There kind of is a love triangle thing going on, but not really. To me, the love triangle ranked second to what I thought was the most important thing to take away from the book, and that was experiencing Caroline’s painstakingly sad but ever hopeful life journey.
Ok all said now, moving on with the review :D
To be honest, I wasn’t real intrigued by the blurb, except for the forbidden romance part (cuz I’m that type of gal). Then I got to the dedication.
“Dedicated to anyone who has ever felt like they don’t quite belong. There’s a place for us all.”
Ahhh. I know the feeling. If I wasn’t hooked by the ‘forbidden’ part, I was pretty much sold by this dedication.
Being honest here, the beginning was really slow. I went into this book not really knowing what was going on, who these characters were, and how everything was related to one another, and that frustrates me to no end. I don’t like being lost in a book, not knowing anything about anything. HOWEVER! I kept reading and the plot quickly picked up and what I got was a truly beautiful, heartbreakingly evocative love story with strong-willed characters who overcame the harshest of circumstances. I couldn’t have been more impressed with Willow Aster’s writing. She certainly took some risks in this story, and they all played out quite nicely!
So what’s this book about?
Caroline, a pretty and shy white girl, falls in love with Isaiah, a handsome, protective black boy, which in 1971 Tulma, Tennessee (or anywhere for that matter) was NOT deemed acceptable. Their budding romance was sweet and innocent, but always overshadowed by fear of getting caught and insecurity. I was so very anguished to see both Caroline and Isaiah slowly getting crushed by external factors they couldn’t control: an unstable family home, racial disparities, unwanted advances, and a devastating but pivotal event that completely changed the pair’s course.
“I’ll never understand the way this world works. Why can’t I love whoever I want to love and it not affect anyone but us? It doesn’t matter. I’ll never know the answers.”
From here on out, there really isn’t much Isaiah. It’s more of Caroline’s journey, how she struggles through obstacle after obstacle and survives with her dignity intact. I want to say here, that the first half of the book was a solid 4 stars for me. The slow start, then the horrible chain of events that led up to the second half was solid, some parts frustrating me, and others breaking my heart. But this second half? 5+ stars. Willow Aster has my admiration and respect for portraying these painful, jarring prejudices, and the very real life struggles Caroline went through. This book is one of those rare gems where after you finish, the story stays with you, and to the point where I have intellectual debates with other readers who’ve read this book. Maybe it’s because of the historical setting, or the certain biases presented in the story, but for whatever reason, this story is one that you won’t be forgetting anytime soon. I really recommend every person to read it, but in reality, I know that it’s not for everyone.
One thing more thing. The strong sense of family in this book brought me to tears because it wasn’t just about blood kin. It’s a family comprised of members like the dedication of this book said: anyone who has felt like they don’t quite belong.That kind of bond forged in the time of hardships and survival is what I highly respect, and Willow Aster couldn’t have done a better job in conveying the emotion and strength behind it.
In one sentence, I’d say...this book made me appreciate life, to live it to the fullest, and to be thankful of every day we get with our loved ones. This won’t be the last book I read by this author.
Copy kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review
~Review by Feifei
Willow Aster is the author of True Love Story and In the Fields…and many more to come. Her characters sometimes drive her crazy, but she couldn’t live without them.
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