This book has mixed reviews for me. The modern day story was a little dumb and forced. The 1940s one was engaging and good. The modern day characters were annoying, archetyped, and fake. The 1940s ones were endearing, authentic, and surprising.
Sookie is an older woman who gets some unexpected news that threw her off kilter. A family secret is reveled and she begins researching to get some answers. Her response to the secret seemed unrealistic and weak. I didn't like her for it.
Fritzi was one of four sisters in the 1940s whose family ran a gas station. They are a precious family of strong women and the juxtaposition and irony between weak Sookie and strong Fritzi didn't get by me. If Flagg could have written about them and left Sookie out, the book would be great!
Usually I really like books where the narrations goes back and forth between times and people. But this book didn't have any cliff hangers to leave you interested while you read about the other time. So I ended up just not caring enough to keep reading. I had to finish the book because it's a book club book, but were it not for that, I'd have put it down.
Now. All that said, it probably wasn't as terrible a book as I've made it out to be. I had just read a stellar book, The Book of Unknown Americans. And when you read a mediocre book right after an excellent one, the former is even worse. Had I read this one first, I probably wouldn't be so harsh.
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