In an attempt to secure an unexpected inheritance—and hopefully find a few answers—two estranged sisters and their newly discovered brother embark on a comically surreal trip through the Deep South to retrace the life of the mother who abandoned them.
On a Tuesday afternoon, Chicago-based sisters Jesse Chasen and Jennifer McMahon receive a phone call notifying them that their birth mother has died, leaving behind a significant inheritance. But in order to obtain it, they must follow a detailed road trip she designed for them to get to know her—and that includes finding a brother they never knew existed.
For the next week, this ill-assorted trio treks across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia to meet their mother’s old friends, from circus performers to a juke joint owner, each of whom delivers a shocking vignette into the life of a young mother traumatized by loss and abuse. Along the way, these three siblings—Jesse, whose fiery exterior disguises a drifting musician stuck in a rut; Jennifer, whose carefully curated family life is threatened by her husband’s infidelity; and Jack, whose enigmatic Jackie, Oh! persona in the New Orleans drag queen scene helps him escape the nightmares of Afghanistan that haunt him at night—must confront their own demons (and at least one alligator). But in chasing the truth about their real mother, they may all just find their second chance.
This uproarious debut novel is a reminder that sometimes, the family you’d never have chosen may turn out to be exactly what you need.
Although Rice explores the predicaments of each family member, Jesse soars as the most layered character whose voice takes center stage. A middle-aged, song-writing beauty who begins as a strip-club bartender, Jesse can’t keep a job or home since the death of her adoptive parents. Refreshing in her underdog melancholy and snarky repartee, she’ll have readers cheering as she gains wisdom along the back roads of the American South. Her irreverent humor lightens her anger at her birth mother, even as she faces new family challenges.
Comedy marks every page as Jess slings sarcastic one-liners and wacky characters intervene in every quirky destination. When her sister comments on her bedraggled condition after a rough night, Jesse quips, “Well, you smell like judgment and superiority.” Rice’s sharp observations of society’s absurdity verge on the satirical and even on occasion veer toward delightfully crude. To offset the humor, solemn moments add depth to the siblings’ inner journeys. The conversational writing style, realistic banter, and frequent flashbacks bring to mind friends sharing juicy gossip. The third-person narration sometimes snags on perspective issues, but fans of family drama with big laughs will enjoy this hilarious road-trip adventure.
Takeaway: Fans of family drama, road trips, and non-stop laughs will love this cross-country adventure.
Great for fans of: Jonathan Tropper’s This Is Where I Leave You, Steven Rowley’s The Guncle.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B
