Mandy Mikulencak

4.5 stars.

Set during the 1950s,The Last Suppers by Mandy Mikulencak is an absolutely riveting novel about a young woman who is a cook at a Louisiana prison.

Ginny Polk works in the kitchen of the same prison her murdered father once worked as a guard. She is also romantically involved with her father's best friend, Roscoe Simmons, who is now the prison warden. Very much ahead of her time, Ginny is uninterested in marrying her much older lover since it would mean giving up her job in the prison kitchen. In another divergence from a typical white woman in the deep South, she considers her much older African American co-worker, Dot, to be her best friend and surrogate mother. While Ginny loves her job, her vocation lies in the meals she prepares for prisoners who are about to be put to death for their crimes. Although she never loses sight the horrific crimes these men have been convicted of committing, Ginny also feels they deserve one last act of compassion before they go to the electric chair.

Ginny is quite contemplative as she tries to understand what motivates her to take such care with the death row inmates' last meal. She is well aware that her traumatic childhood experiences are a factor in her devotion to ensuring their prisoners last supper has meaning. This curiosity is the catalyst that begins her quest to find answers to questions that have long troubled her, but it is a shocking discovery about her beloved father that jeopardizes everything she holds dear.

As she reminisces about her larger than life, garrulous father, Ginny slowly starts to understand that he had also had a dark side. Roscoe has tried to protect her from the truth about the man she idolizes but she has no choice but face the fact that her father also had a cruel streak. After she stumbles onto proof that shatters her illusions about him, Ginny sets out to right a horrific wrong, but she inadvertently uncovers the stunning truth about what happened the night of her father's murder.

The Last Suppers is starkly compelling novel that accurately depicts many of the issues of the time period including race relations and the deplorable conditions at the prison. Ginny is an empathetic young woman who is sometimes a little naive and impulsive, but her heart is always in the right place. With a multi-layered, richly developed and meticulously researched storyline, Mandy Mikulencak's debut is poignant, through-provoking and ultimately, redemptive.… (plus d'informations)

This story follows a family in the 70’s around an issue no family ever wants to face: sexual abuse. Your heart will break from the first few pages to the very end. This does have triggers for cutting, sexual abuse, mental health, family tensions, and more.

Your heart will literally break for Cissy and what she is going through. This is a very raw look into sexual abuse by a family member and the way it can effect a child even after that person is no longer in their life. Some of the issues Cissy faces while in treatment are so true what survivors may go through once the abuse has stopped (or is still occurring). Cissy may have been facing some demons, but she also was so strong to stick up for herself and ensure the safety of her younger siblings. You get a look into what it may be like when a family member does not believe the abuse that had occurred. I really loved the grandmother, but she was also constantly blaming the mother of Cissy. It was a really powerful story.

This is not an action packed story and is pretty slow paced. If you love reading about hard hitting issues, you will love this. If you need a little more action around this, you may want to pass on this one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and it made me feel all the feels!… (plus d'informations)