The Flood Girls
Literary fiction
Gallery Books
February 2, 2016
Hardcover
336
Own copy
Welcome to Quinn, Montana, population: 956. A town where nearly all of the volunteer firemen are named Jim, where The Dirty Shame—the only bar in town—refuses to serve mixed drinks (too much work), where the locals hate the newcomers (then again, they hate the locals, too), and where the town softball team has never even come close to having a winning season. Until now.
Rachel Flood has snuck back into town after leaving behind a trail of chaos nine years prior. She’s here to make amends, but nobody wants to hear it, especially her mother, Laverna. But with the help of a local boy named Jake and a little soul-searching, she just might make things right.
In the spirit of Empire Falls and A League of Their Own, with the caustic wit of Where’d You Go, Bernadette thrown in for good measure, Richard Fifield’s hilarious and heartwarming debut will have you laughing through tears.
My review:
What a wonderful debut novel from an author that I hope to hear a lot more from. This story, about a small town where everybody knows everything about the residents, resonates with sweet southern charm and an equal amount of grit. The main character Rachel comes home to right her past wrongs with the town, and particularly with her mother. What ensues is a delightful friendship with the young boy next door, who is faced with his own family problems. I adored the character of Jake, and he was written so well that I wanted to jump into the book, take him under my wing, and bring him home. All the supporting characters were fabulous and the small town goings on were spot on. The inclusion of the softball team added just the right touch to the storyline. This novel has it all.....humor, secrets, sadness, forgiveness, and characters so rich that you will be sad to leave them behind at the book's conclusion. And speaking of conclusions, shocking!
A well depicted story about small town life (with all its inherent problems), and a look at whether you can really ever go home again. I can't wait to find out what Fifield plans on next.
The publishers have really marketed this book in their newsletters, and I've been curious if would meet the hype or not. I'm happy to see that it did with your review. You always pick the best books... and make my TBR so unmanageable. lol
Awww, thanks Kathy, you make me blush 🙂 If you like a book about a small town in the south, I think this one will be a good choice.
Oh I love the sound of this one, definitely going to mark it as wanting to read it. I thing you've sold this one to me!