Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson is a gripping tale of a young woman, Rose Mae Lolley, who flees from her abusive husband and embarks on a journey to find her long-lost mother. Through various versions of herself - from a rebellious high schooler to a battered wife named Ro Grandee - the story unfolds across different locations, exploring themes of domestic violence, self-discovery, and the search for truth amidst a backdrop of complex relationships and dark family secrets.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of domestic abuse, violence, trauma, and emotional distress, reflecting the serious nature of the protagonist's experiences.
Has Romance?
While there are elements of romance, they are intertwined with themes of abuse and personal growth rather than being the central focus.
From The Publisher:
Read this "enthralling" portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrongs she's created while reigniting her rough and tough Texan bravery (Kathryn Stockett, bestselling author of The Help ).
Rose Mae Lolley's mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she's living the very life her mother abandoned. She's all but forgotten the girl she used to be-teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol-until an airport gypsy warns Rose it's time to find her way back to that brave, tough girl . . . or else. Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas, running from a man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did. Starring a minor character from Jackson's bestselling Gods in Alabama , Backseat Saints will dazzle readers with its stunning portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrongs she's created, and how far a daughter will travel to satisfy the demands of forgiveness.
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1 comment(s)
A fascinating and disturbing look into the lives of abused women. Ro Grandee, known as Rose Mae Lolley in
gods in Alabama (in which she was a minor character) grew up with an abusive father and married an abusive man years after her mother ran off. In this exploration of her inner self(ves), Rose Mae must choose between herself and her husband Thom after a gypsy in an airport tells her "it's him or you." She has known for a while that Thom may kill her, but this encounter provides the impetus to do something about it. Ro's identity begins to shift, as sly, slinky Rose Mae starts rising to the surface and someone named Ivy Rose moves into the picture. Ro's identity is so variable I'm not even sure what to call her in this review. Ultimately, she comes to conclusions about what kind of men she has had in her life and the choices she makes to bring them into her life. There is a darkness in Rose Mae, and Jackson comes perilously close to blaming the victim for domestic violence. But I don't think that is what she's getting at; she's getting at patterns of violence in our lives, at how childhood experiences shape us as adults, and at how we must decide who we are in order to build a strong foundation for a safe and happy life. There are ugly moments in this book, but they are also painfully true.
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Backseat Saints?
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