Gerry Wilson’s debut novel is a work of historical fiction focusing on a southern woman named Leona Pinson who takes a chance at a romance only to have it backfire, and she must scramble to preserve her social standing in the community and keep both herself and her fatherless child safe from those who may seek to harm them but also from poverty and the harsh living conditions of 1918 Mississippi. The intrigue of this novel is the secrets held by not only Leona but every other member of her family as well as some in the community. The secrets have the power to destroy friendships and families, so the question of which secrets may come out when builds its own unique form of tension in the novel.
I write in the review that the “book begins as Leona Pinson is delivering her illegitimate child during the middle of winter, with no one but her distant mother and her aunt to help. It’s a complicated delivery that may endanger Leona’s life. This tense opening brings forth numerous questions that keep the reader invested from the first pages. // While the novel focuses on Leona Pinson’s story, the chapters alternate third-person points of view among several of the characters, including Raymond Pinson, Leona’s unpredictable, violent older brother; Luther Biggs, a man once enslaved by Leona’s grandfather, who now owns a slice of land gifted to him near the Pinson property; and Sally, Leona’s aunt who is a little person with physical deformities. Through the alternating perspectives, we learn many of the secrets in the town and the negative effects these secrets have on families, friendships, and romantic relationships.”
Keep reading the review from Chapter 16‘s website below!
Haven’t yet ordered your copy of Palm Up, Fingers Curled? Don’t worry. You can still buy a copy through Abby’s Pango Books shop at the link here: https://pangobooks.com/books/ed57d9f3-2f63-446b-97a5-d81162f8e06f-0iTlsCuu13QcPx6jU8OQlr7FrPh1
Abby N. Lewis 
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