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| Philomel |
By Ruta Sepetys
4 Scribbles
To Be Released, February 12, 2013
Josie Moraine longs to live a life free of her mother’s reputation—to
start fresh, get an education, and be counted among the “uptown” folk. Yet, that’s not likely to happen as long as
Josie lives in New Orleans, where her mother works as a prostitute in scrappy Willie
Woodley’s brothel. And even though Josie has lived alone since she was ten
years old in a small room above the bookstore where she works, everyone knows
what a scoundrel Josie’s mother, Louise, is. Now Louise’s criminal ways may not
only cast a shadow over Josie’s dreams, they might also get Josie killed.
The Quarter is a neighborhood filled with predators and prey;
and Josie, with the help of Willie, who owns and operates her mother’s brothel,
is determined not to become prey. Rarely
do characters like Josie, who embodies idealism and innocence combined with a “salty”
edge, exist and thrive in conjunction with cantankerous individuals like
Willie. Yet, not only does the relationship between these two individuals work,
the relationship is fundamental to Josie’s personality. Who would Josie be
without hard-nosed Willie, who is more of a mother to Josie than Josie’s own narcissistic,
parasite of a mother, Louise? Other
characters in the novel function as Josie’s surrogate family, like gentle limo-driver
Cokie who supports her dream of an elite college, Josie’s beloved best friend Patrick
and Patrick’s critically-ill father who provides Josie with a home. Contrast those individuals with the novel’s
despicable predators in the story, like felon Cincinnati, who has threatened
Josie’s life, and the revolting Mr. Lockwell, and it seems that everywhere
Josie turns she meets a roadblock to her goal of education and success. Short
chapters in the novel move the conflict expertly forward, and a level of mystery
over an unexplained death permeates the entire text without distracting from
the complicated relationships that are constantly developing throughout. Readers
who have never been to “The Quarter” in New Orleans will get a realistic,
first-hand view of this community and its culture through Josie’s eyes. Instead
of the splashes of cool color, delicious cuisine and endless parties most readers
might imagine, Josie describes hot neighborhoods riddled with poverty, secrecy,
shady characters, and staunch tradition. Sepetys has created a rich, layered
story of a girl who desires more than she has been given, and one that will
please readers of historical fiction, and fans of her first novel, Between Shades of Gray.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
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