Missing Isaac by Valerie Fraser Luesse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book Details
Publisher: Revell, 337 pages
Publish Date: January 2, 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction; Christian Fiction
About The Book
There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches
and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening
news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right
themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their
feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac.
It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete--and the people he loves most--will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.
It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete--and the people he loves most--will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.
My Review
I was so excited to start this debut novel from author Valerie
Fraser Luesse. The first thing I usually notice about a book is its cover and I
totally loved this one. Missing Isaac is a beautifully written story that takes
place during the 1960’s in the small southern town of Glory, Alabama.
The main character was Pete, an eleven year old boy who
loses his father to an accident at the beginning of the book. Pete has an
unlikely friend on the farm, a field hand named Isaac who works for his grandpa.
Pete feels that his mom is so sad about the death of Pete’s dad that he doesn’t
want to add to her sorrow by showing his. So Pete shares his feelings with
Isaac about his father’s death. Then one day out of the blue, Isaac disappears.
Pete is left now without his best friend and he is determined to find out what
has happened to him.
There were so many things that I loved about this novel. First
the author is just flat out an AMAZING
storyteller. The plot was original and flowed smoothly. The characters were believable
and wonderfully developed. The dialogue and interaction between the characters
was realistic and smooth flowing. Valerie Fraser Luesse’s descriptive prose
brings Glory, Alabama and its inhabitants vibrantly to life.
Missing Isaac is a story of class and race in the 1960’s
South…a story of loss, unlikely friendships, and a boy’s determination to not
give up on his friend…. I hope this is the beginning of a long writing career
by this gifted storyteller. Four out of five stars for Missing Isaac!!!
Thank you Valerie Fraser Luesse, Revell, and BookishFirst for providing me with
a review copy of this book to read.
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