Once again, after almost a week, I am back online on the blog. 2020 is starting to show its true colours for me as well. I have not been this inconsistent since I started blogging. One ray of sunshine is that I have been reading/listening and the rhythm there has picked up significantly enough to bring me joy.
The first thing I need to mention about this book is the fact that the historical note came at the beginning of the narrative. I was, therefore, well prepared for the social setting of the place I was about to visit as well as know the significance. Not having grown up in the US, I had no knowledge of the incidents mentioned here. That said, I wonder how common its knowledge is within the country at this time. The time is 1968 in California. Our lead protagonist is Jack Duncan, who lives with the shadow of his father, hovering at the edges. He does not know much about the man except what his mother reluctantly tells him. His best friend Adrian is on the opposite side of an invisible divide caused by a rift between the growers and the farm owners. Adrian has a much better relationship with his father but that introduces a different kind of disturbance to his life. The main demand of the growers? To be treated like human beings, something that will strike a stronger chord now.
It is a slow story and can be read by even a younger audience. the pacing did have me reading it in bits and pieces, but the characters are well done and very realistic. It is fascinating to imagine how people think because of or despite their backgrounds/upbringing. There is a lot to unpack in the story and will be an interesting addition to book clubs.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience
Superfluous Reading 