Play Book Tag discussion

Diana and I both have Long Bright River by Liz Moore on our Trim list this month.

Everyone welcome to join us in this Buddy Read. And would love to hear from anyone who's already read it!

I'm starting the audio today.

I've previously read Heft by this same author, and it was a 5-star read for me.

Really looking forward to reading this one.

I'm going to start reading it today)

Wow - I fell into this book head first and just couldn't put it down.

Here's my review:
On the surface this book follows the stories of two sisters - Mickey who becomes a cop and Kacey who falls into drug addiction, prostitution and homelessness in Philadelphia.

The story is told entirely in the first person by Mickey, but all the main characters end up being fully developed by the author.

As the story opens, Kacey is missing, and Mickey is using her role as a police officer to search for her missing sister. There's a serial killer loose in the city killing prostitutes. For Mickey, each victim could have just as easily been her sister Kacey - and she's terrified for her sister's life.

Using flashbacks and dialogue we learn that Mickey and Kacey's Mother was also drug addicted, died young, and left the two girls to be raised by their Grandmother G. G is a harsh and bitter woman, and we get a clear picture of a loveless childhood for the two sisters.

We also learn that Mickey is a single Mom, with no support system. Father is a "Deadbeat Dad". We learn that he seduced Mickey as a young teenager. He's also a police officer, but clearly feels no shame at abandoning his child.

The author does an amazing job of showing the damage addiction causes in families, cascading through multiple generations with devasting effects.

Can't wait to hear what you think!

My favorite character was the neighbor Mrs Mann. She was the complete opposite to G. There was a point in the book it got too depressing, and I almost put it down. Mrs Mann saved the day.

Sue, I read the book last year and loved it too. I found it hard to put down. I hope you don't mind my commenting here.

At the time I read the book, I found a photo essay about heroin addicts in the Kensington, Philadelphia area, that was riveting. Thought you might be interested in seeing it.

https://time.com/jeffrey-stockbridge-...

Happy to have you jump in Holly!

Those pictures are incredible and so heartbreaking - and I feel like I'm looking at characters in the book. Especially TicTac and Tootsie! And the guy getting help shooting up in his neck matches so closely one of the scenes in the book.

And one of the last pics - Jamie in Harrowgate Park could be Kacey herself.

The author lives in Philadelphia and (among other things) she teaches creative writing in a women's shelter in the Kensington Park area. I can imagine some of her descriptions were based on first hand observations.

Oh, Sue, you are SO quick!
I'm afraid I won't be able to comment on your thoughts very soon:) I need more time

No worries Diana - I got a little carried away over the weekend!

Sorry for not coming back here for a long time, Sue.

I've almost finished reading the novel. The book seemed to drag out a little and I wasn't lured to go back to it very often. The only thing that made me keep reading was the desire to know Mickey's story with Simon. Now I'm more into it, so I'll post my review soon.

No need to be sorry!! Sometimes books just don't hit us right, or life gets busy, or no reason at all.

Looking forward to hearing what you thought.