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 … 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.
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Hard to keep attention at first, then very good.
I am so utterly blown away by this book, it is hard for me to know where to begin.
When I started reading Missing Isaac, I was excited for a well-written story about interracial friendships and interactions in a certain time period in the south. I am very interested in that time period, and the mentality of all people, in all time periods, who feel that a degree of separation between people is “necessary.” After reading an excerpt of the story, I knew that this was bound to be a gripping story and I was so excited to get my hands on it.
Once I started reading, I quite literally did not stop until I finished the book. I adore Pete’s character. He is such a sweet and good and gentle soul. He is everything that I would love to my little boy to grow up and be, honestly. He felt very real, but also ideal. Which is a difficult balance to reach as an author. I think that Ms. Luesse did an phenomenal job of finding that perfect balance. But it was Dovey that clinched the entire story for me. Her character is so insightful and straightforward. There was one particular scene that made me laugh out loud (startling the wits out of my poor, unsuspecting family, as I am typically a silent reader). When Pete takes Dovey to a church event and the preppiest white boy around tries to “lure” her away from Pete by bowling her over with the sight of his car and – what? What he presumes is animal magnetism, I suppose. And Dovey’s response is to deadpan at him (at least it sounded like deadpan in my own head), “But who are you?” I loved it SO much! Straightforward, no-nonsense, insightful. She is an utter delight to read.
SPOILERS!!!!!!!
DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK!!!!!
SERIOUSLY, HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!
The journey of Pete and Dovey down the path from friendship to romance to marriage saved this book from completely breaking my heart. I don’t know that I could have handled it otherwise, because all along I wanted so desperately to believe that Isaac would be found alive. I wanted that happy ending with all of my heart. Even as the pages turned and the dates ticked off months and years without him being found, I still hoped. Maybe he would have fallen in the woods, and is in a coma in a hospital somewhere? Maybe he was kidnapped and is being held hostage? Maybe he got mauled by an animal, suffered from infection while lost, and lost his mind? Maybe he decided to take a sudden opportunity to run off and get a sailboat? That last one seemed least likely, but I was hoping for any ending where Isaac got to come home and be Pete’s best man at his wedding. Because you know he would have been.
When I read that Isaac was found the way he was, I broke down crying. What a tragic, awful, horrific event for the whole town. And what disgusts me most is the sheer reality of it. People do horrible things all the time, just like what happened to Isaac, and they fully expect to get away with it. Why? Because they often DO. It sickens me.
This is such a beautifully written and compelling book. I feel it is a call to action, to change attitudes and take things like justice much more seriously. I loved this book, and highly, highly recommend it to every single person who enjoys reading.
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.
This is a debut novel by this author, and it sure won’t be my last to enjoy by her, she sure has won me over, a read that felt like I was watching as this story unfolded.
There is a lot of pain and heartache here and when we face growing up in the 1960’s Alabama, and meet prejudice head on. This is Pete’s story and his family that found the town of “Glory”, the setting of this story.
While the author has us walking in Pete’s shoes, we experience and walk with others in this community, and learn a lot of life lessons here. While things don’t always turn out how we want them to, there are a lot of surprises here, both good and bad.
A warning that once you start, you won’t be able to stop, and I could have used a few more epilogues, I wanted to spend more time with these characters.
I received this book through Revell Publishing Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review.