The Myth of Perpetual Summer

November 1, 2018

Early 1960s Mississippi is a center for change even as it grips tightly to the past, and 10-year-old Tallulah James and her family are buffeted by it. Trying to understand why her mother refuses to care for them as she takes off to march in rallies, and perplexed by a father whose moods swing unpredictably, Tallulah knows that she is responsible for her brothers and sister. Their grandmother, the keeper of family secrets, tries to be a steady force in their lives, and Tallulah's friends help as much as they can. But it is not enough; when she is 16, Tallulah walks away from it all. By 1972, she has forged a well-ordered life for herself in California. Thinking that she left her disastrous childhood behind in Mississippi, she watches a television broadcast of her brother's indictment for murder and realizes she must go home to save him. Told in alternating time lines, this complex novel takes teens who are willing to dig deeply into a family in crisis. VERDICT Purchase this poignant historical fiction novel about family, love, and coming of age for all collections.-Connie Williams, Petaluma Public Library, CA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2018
In the late 1960s, Tallulah James left her tiny Mississippi hometown for California, hoping that she would never have to return. But when her younger brother is arrested for murder in 1972, she leaves her new life behind and returns home, where she is forced to confront decades' worth of family secrets. A series of flashbacks reveals Tallulah's volatile childhood: her mother's flippant neglect of her children in favor of a series of political causes, her father's untreated mental illness, and the small-town gossip that ostracizes the entire James family. Tallulah's only ally, both during her teen years and upon her return, is Ross Saenger. Now a respected (and well-connected) psychiatrist in New Orleans, Ross steps in to help exonerate Tallulah's brother?and helps Tallulah come to terms with her family's legacy. The dual narrative works, allowing Tallulah's backstory to unfurl in unexpected ways and drawing out the tension of her current life. Crandall (The Flying Circus, 2015) explores both the long-lasting effects of family dysfunction and the strength it takes to move beyond childhood trauma in this compelling, atmospheric coming-of-age story ideal for fans of southern women's fiction by Sue Monk Kidd and Karen White.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)