This was an intriguing novel. The protagonist, Maggie, is a middle-aged failed writer who has one published novel under her belt, but has produced nothing since. To make ends meet, she works in the local high school media center. Approaching menopause, she is alone, lonely, and frustrated. Tae is a 15-year-old black girl who is a student at the school. She is talented and vivacious and Maggie develops an overwhelming obsession with her, befriending the family and encouraging the young girl to become a writer. With a sort of nebulous approval from the girl’s mother, Maggie takes the teen and sets off on a road trip of discovery.

This novel started off great. Both of the main characters were interesting, multi-dimensional, and realistically portrayed. However, as the story wore on, I found myself getting bogged down. This, I attribute to the fact that the story is told almost completely in narrative – there is no dialogue. Hence, for me, it fell flat in the middle and it was a chore to keep reading. I also didn’t understand at all the character of Sulie and what she was meant to represent in the story.

It’s an interesting read with multiple points of view. However, it was not my cup of tea.

I received a free copy of this novel as part of Library Thing’s Early Reviewer Program.