The Truth According to Us
By Annie Barrows
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: The Dial Press (June 9, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385342942
ISBN-13: 978-0385342940
Approximate
Lexile Level: 650
Publisher’s Blurb:
From the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato
Peel Pie Society comes a wise, witty, and exuberant novel, perfect for fans
of Lee Smith, that illuminates the power of loyalty and forgiveness, memory and
truth, and the courage it takes to do what’s right.
Annie Barrows once again evokes the charm and eccentricity of a small town filled with extraordinary characters. Her new novel, The Truth According to Us, brings to life an inquisitive young girl, her beloved aunt, and the alluring visitor who changes the course of their destiny forever.
In the summer of 1938, Layla Beck’s father, a United States senator, cuts off her allowance and demands that she find employment on the Federal Writers’ Project, a New Deal jobs program. Within days, Layla finds herself far from her accustomed social whirl, assigned to cover the history of the remote mill town of Macedonia, West Virginia, and destined, in her opinion, to go completely mad with boredom. But once she secures a room in the home of the unconventional Romeyn family, she is drawn into their complex world and soon discovers that the truth of the town is entangled in the thorny past of the Romeyn dynasty.
At the Romeyn house, twelve-year-old Willa is desperate to learn everything in her quest to acquire her favorite virtues of ferocity and devotion—a search that leads her into a thicket of mysteries, including the questionable business that occupies her charismatic father and the reason her adored aunt Jottie remains unmarried. Layla’s arrival strikes a match to the family veneer, bringing to light buried secrets that will tell a new tale about the Romeyns. As Willa peels back the layers of her family’s past, and Layla delves deeper into town legend, everyone involved is transformed—and their personal histories completely rewritten.
Annie Barrows once again evokes the charm and eccentricity of a small town filled with extraordinary characters. Her new novel, The Truth According to Us, brings to life an inquisitive young girl, her beloved aunt, and the alluring visitor who changes the course of their destiny forever.
In the summer of 1938, Layla Beck’s father, a United States senator, cuts off her allowance and demands that she find employment on the Federal Writers’ Project, a New Deal jobs program. Within days, Layla finds herself far from her accustomed social whirl, assigned to cover the history of the remote mill town of Macedonia, West Virginia, and destined, in her opinion, to go completely mad with boredom. But once she secures a room in the home of the unconventional Romeyn family, she is drawn into their complex world and soon discovers that the truth of the town is entangled in the thorny past of the Romeyn dynasty.
At the Romeyn house, twelve-year-old Willa is desperate to learn everything in her quest to acquire her favorite virtues of ferocity and devotion—a search that leads her into a thicket of mysteries, including the questionable business that occupies her charismatic father and the reason her adored aunt Jottie remains unmarried. Layla’s arrival strikes a match to the family veneer, bringing to light buried secrets that will tell a new tale about the Romeyns. As Willa peels back the layers of her family’s past, and Layla delves deeper into town legend, everyone involved is transformed—and their personal histories completely rewritten.
I loved The
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I was excited to see what
Barrows would do on her own, so I was pleased that NetGalley had this book
available for review. I enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. First, it
gave me a definite vibe of To Kill a
Mockingbird—Willa reminds me a lot of Scout, and the description of
small-town, Depression-era Southern life is similar in feel to Lee’s
descriptions of Maycomb.
Second, my 7xgreat-grandfather was reputed to be the
first white settler in West Virginia. Coming across names like “Morgan” and “Zackquill”
made me smile.
Told from multiple points of view, at the heart of
this story is the lies that everyone tells—about themselves, about their
actions, about their history. Some reviews found the book to be overladen and
long, but I was actually surprised to find that it is over 500 pages. (I read
it as an ebook, so had no real idea.) The history of the country at the time
takes back seat to the history of the individuals and the town of Macedonia, so
while Hitler is given a passing mention, world events are not a focus. The
publisher’s description is a little over-dramatic. Although the town has its
suspicions of what really happened in the Romeyns’ past, it is hardly the
fulcrum on which the town balances.
I felt that Barrows’ characters were realistically
drawn, albeit quirky. Felix was probably the most difficult for me—it was
difficult to find any redeeming qualities in him. He loved his daughters. When
it didn’t inconvenience him, that is. But that’s about all I can say for him.
Jottie is the character I was drawn to the most, and
where the book leaves her was a bit unsatisfying to me. She seems happy with
where she ends up, but I wanted more for her.
Possible
objectionable material: Mild cursing, one f-word near the
end. Mild violence. Deception. Unmarried sex.
Who
would like this book: If you liked To Kill a Mockingbird, you should definitely give this one a spin.
I wish there were time in my schedule to use this book alongside Mockingbird. If you like stories of
small towns and complicated families, this might be a book for you. High
school-aged and up.
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