The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt by Andrea Bobotis
I was looking forward to reading this title since it ticks a lot of the boxes for me (family secrets, small towns, narrators looking back at their lives from an advanced age). Judith Kratt is a 75 year old woman who has lived her whole life in the same house in a small town in Alabama. The Kratt family was once the leading family in town, owning the local cotton gins as well as the only department store in the area. But a series of misfortunes sent the family into a downward spiral and the youngest daughter fleeing from the town, and now Judith lives in her old house surrounded by family possessions, with only her old friend Olva as a companion.
Judith isn't happy to learn that her prodigal sister Rosemarie is returning to town after an absence of 60 years, and Rosemarie's return triggers changes and upheavals in Judith's orderly life. She decides to create an inventory of the family's possessions, telling her story in the process.
This is a debut novel and it was interesting enough to keep me reading, although I guessed at some of the family secrets well before the end. It contains many themes of Southern fiction such as small towns, old houses, siblings, and secrets. I found it to be an enjoyable read, great for the summer, and look forward to more from this author.
Happy Independence Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment