Jo Joe by Sally Wiener GrottaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jo Joe by Sally Wiener Grotta is a Pixel Hall Press publication. This book was released in May 2013. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set in Black Bear, Pennsylvania, a village in the Poconos Mountains.
Judith, a mixed race woman, and Jewish, was raised here by her white, Christian grandparents.
With Judith's dark skin, her religion and a French accent, her life would have been unbearable if it hadn't have been for Joe. Joe became her very best friend and protector.
Joe's life was difficult. His father was abusive and a drunk. So, Joe's only experience at family life was when he was at Judith's grandparents home. Joe even gave Judith the nickname 'Jo' because of her initials.
But, Judith's grandmother was not a big fan of Joe's. She kept a very close eye on the two of them the whole time they were growing up.
When the two reached high school and the nature of their relationship turned toward physical attraction, things begin to change between them.
Joe began to push Judith away.
Then a series of catastrophic events tore the two apart for good. Judith left not only Black Bear, but the entire country for eighteen years.
She never came back and swore she never would. Until she gets word that her grandmother has passed away. Now, as the only living relative, Judith has come back to Black Bear to bury her grandmother set her estate in order.
Judith finds the town changed, but the prejudices remain. When Judith discovers some shocking details in her grandmother's will, she contest the will, turning the town on it's ear and making Judith once more the target of their wrath.
Determined to sell the farm and get as far away from Black Bear as possible, Judith begins dismantling her grandparents possessions. As she goes through this monumental task, she is flooded by memories as she works in each room of the house. She remembers her mother, an uncle she never met, the relationship between her mother and her grandmother and she has pleasant memories of her grandfather.
But, other memories of Black Bear are present as well. Dark, terrifying memories.
With pressure from friends and family to hold off selling the farm, the memories Judith had buried, the inevitable run ins with Joe and the difficulties dealing with the will and the law in regards to liquidating her grandparents estate is enough emotional turmoil for anyone to deal with. But, things only get worse when Judith is approached by her worst enemy, an enemy far more dangerous than Joe. She now has to contend with the possibility that she is in danger.
Events spiral out of control, building to a crescendo, that has far reaching consequences.
This novel was an absolute page turner. Once I got going, I couldn't put it down.
We know that things aren't always what they appear to be on the surface. In times of shock, grief, terror, and heartbreak we form a conclusion sometimes that is hard to surrender. In Judith's case, the memories of Black Bear are buried deep inside. She had no desire to ever revisit the village or it's memories. But, as evidence mounts against Joe and Judith sticks to her plans to sell the farm with dogged determination, there is the unbearable suspense of something coming. We aren't sure if it's something bad or something good.
Judith learns things about her grandmother she never really picked up on before. She also learns the truth about Joe and his relationship with her grandmother after Judith left. She also learns some very important lessons about herself.
Judith may never be fully accepted in the village she grew up in, but she will discover who she is, where she going, and what love and friendship is. The power of forgiveness and the ability to examine her own mind and heart with honesty will lead Judith and many others to a peace with the past and a true understanding of human nature and all it's flaws.
This book has many avenues of discussion and I could prattle on and on about it, but I will just say that this would make a very good group read. Racism, controlling and manipulative behavior, women's issues, secrets, lies, truth, and healing are just some of the topics that come to mind. I stayed awake long after I finished reading the book thinking about all various issues the book touched on. A very compelling novel that I highly recommend to book lovers, no matter what genre you usually lean toward.
This is one of those rare times I pull out the five star rating. A+
View all my reviews
