Now on to the book:
This one tackles several things at once, including such deeply disturbing issues as an abusive adult relationship, divorce, the death of a parent while serving in the Iraq War, escaped (and again, abusive) convicts, an unfaithful spouse, and a delusional Elvis impersonator. It would appear, with this list, that the adults in this story do their best to mess up the lives of the children in the sleepy West Virginia town.
On the other side of things lies the overall theme of facing your fears and pursuing your dreams. I found the theme well developed, for the most part, but dissatisfying in the end. This was one time when I wanted less reality and more satisfaction for the main characters; I wanted them all to experience complete success in their pursuits and (not much of a spoiler) the author simply doesn't fulfill all of her characters' dreams.
At the same time, it just seemed like Bauer resolved some of the problems in an overly-simplistic manner. To explain it further would require me to give too much of a spoiler. The author's website describes the story in a few words: It's midnight and Foster McFee and her mother are being chased out of Memphis by an Elvis impersonator. Where are they heading? Somewhere. You can not help but want to eat Foster's cupcakes when you read about them. The description of her cooking process truly brings out the art involved in the baking process - though I doubt it's really as much fun as she makes it sound. |