…the book was even more thrilling, thoughtful, and heartbreaking than I ever expected….
While I was very impressed with the way Powers wove his story back and forth through Nelle’s and Myrtle’s points of view, the tone of the book is just great and probably my favorite part. Powers’ “voice” in the writing reminded me a great deal of both In Cold Blood and To Kill a Mockingbird. As I think back over those two books, it’s the subtle beauty and tragedy that I remember so. There’s an easy feel to Powers’ writing, and there are moments of pure, simple tragedy that jumped off the page and left me breathless. And, yes, the sure sign of a good book: it made me tear up a bit at the end. Just like In Cold Blood and To Kill a Mockingbird, I cried and I wanted to turn back to the very first page and start all over again. I’ve said it before, those two inclinations are the highest honors I can pay to any book.
