Hang the Moon

I forget how much I love Depression-era stories until I come across books like this. There's so much grit to be found, especially when the book is so character driven. I hung on every word and was completely immersed.

When her stepmother dies, Sallie Kincaid is finally called home after being sent away at the age of eight. She's thrilled by this second chance to reclaim her place in her family and redeem herself as a big sister to her half-brother, Eddie. It doesn't take long for her to realize that she might be in over her head. Nevertheless, she refuses to back down from a challenge. She isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to prove herself worthy of her father's affection.

The longer Sallie is home, she realizes that her father is far different from the man she remembers. What's more is that she doesn't know much about her own past, especially surrounding her mother's death. When Duke remarries, even more secrets rise to the surface.

I ate up the in-depth timeline in which the story is told. Most of the events of the book happen in real-time which made it hard to pause reading. It's also extremely character driven which I love. It's overall an emotional and dark story in its way. All that said, there was a lot of information and characters to digest. Honestly, I'd say too many, especially when it comes to Sallie's complicated family tree. I'm still not positive about all of the relationships. Still, I was thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. Sometimes that's difficult for me to find.