Set in Muscadine, Louisiana this book is a semi-saga that bounces between generations, characters and their POV, with one constant. That constant is a fierce woman known as Meemaw and she is the matriarch who will protect her brood against anything and anyone. Oh, by the way she is a hoarder but I am unsure how that helps or harms the story, just another thing thrown in.

The story waffles among the Guidry sisters, their past and present and sometimes in between. There is a whole lot of hostility among them and the reason they come together is just a little bit out of the realm of believable but a promise made twenty-five years ago is still a promise to be kept. Back to Meemaw - she is described as someone whose “heart had always been in the right place even if her execution had the grace of a cow on roller skates.” She is a mighty interesting character and is the glue on every page of this book. Unfortunately the sisters are a mess and their rivalries, resentments and ugly accusations are exhausting for them and the reader. The mystery that pulls them apart is less of a mystery than survivor’s hope thrown in when the story flags. Messy characters whose voices become entangled, messy story which rambles around “the sacrifice, the needing”.

Something about this book kept me reading but when I dissect the parts I am unsure as there were so many stereotypes and situations that should have been a turnoff but somehow seemed to work. The failures and anger seemed unlimited but again they also fit. Without the humor this would have been a very hard read. I am rounding up for effort and insight. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a copy. ( )