Rose Mae Lolley and Ro Grandy are the same person with two quite different personalities. No, she doesn’t have a multiple personality disorder, she just uses the two to help her figure things out and survive.

Her mother ran away years ago, when Rose Mae was still young. When she was old enough Rose Mae escaped her abusive father and married Thom. Thom turned out to be even more abusive than her father and Ro ended up in the hospital many times. The same nurse saw her over and over and wanted to notify the police however, Ro always used the excuse that she was very clumsy.

One day, while in an airport, a she received a reading from a fortune teller. Ro remembered what she was told, “It was an airport gypsy who told me that I had to kill my husband. She may have been the first to say the words out loud, but she was only giving voice to a thing I’d been trying not to know for a long, long time. When she said that it was him or me, the words rang out like church bells, shuddering through my bones.”

These words and Thom’s abuse, made Ro realize that she had to leave him. It was Rose Mae Lolley who gave her the strength to follow through. She took to the road and went across the country, from Alabama to California, in search of her mother.

I listened to the audio version of this book which, was read by Joshilyn Jackson, herself. Being southern herself, it was really a treat listening to a true southern accent and she captured the spirit of each of in pitch perfect drawl. There were times that I felt sorry for Ro, times I wanted to scream at her, and times I wanted to cheer.

This is the first time I have “read” anything by Joshilyn Jackson but won’t be the last.

4/5

Thanks to Anna Balasi of Hachette Books For sending me this audio book.

Also reviewed by:
Luxury Reading
My Round File
She Treads Softly
Books and Quilts

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