This is my review of the book The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield.
The Flood Girls was originally published in 2016 by Gallery Books. The copy I am reviewing is the first paperback published in 2016. It is also the Book Club copy, meaning there are questions at the end of the book that help generate a conversation.
Synopsis
The Flood Girls is set in Quinn, Montana population 956. Enter young Jake Bailey who is just trying to be his real-self in a tiny town where he doesn’t belong, even though he’s lived there his whole life. Rachel Flood moves into the trailer next to his and becomes his closest ally. Rachel returned to town to make amends for her past transgressions, but will the town forgive her?
Positives
The book gives a pretty accurate description of living in a tiny town, not a small town. Quinn is the type of town where everyone knows everything about everyone else. There are few secrets in this town, much the same as in every other tiny town. Most of the town seems to be related to each other, which also seems to be pretty common in tiny towns.
Jake seems to know how different he is from the other kids in town, and he is okay with that. Counting down the days until he can move to the big city of Missoula, Montana. He also has the most interesting sense of fashion.
Rachel presents herself as someone who truly is trying to make amends for her failures in her past. There are many in the town who just can’t seem to forgive her, and she can’t let that go.
The rest of the characters are just as interesting, and probably quite accurate compared to the characters in tiny towns.
The setting of the story and the descriptions are detailed enough to let me see Quinn. But not so detailed as to bog the story down.
Negatives
The biggest issue I have with the book is with Misty, Jake’s only friend. I wonder if they are friends because they grew up across from each other in the trailer court. Or if it’s because they are both unlike everyone else. I don’t have an issue with her being unlike everyone else. I have an issue with the fact that she’s sexually active at the age of 12, and possibly before that. While the book doesn’t go into too many details, there is roughly half a page detailing her exploits with some football players on the bus during a school field trip. Don’t get me wrong, I know that kids that young are sexually active, but it still bothers me.
Negative number two is the number of drugs and alcohol consumed in the book. I understand that the author was trying to show what Rachel grew up with, and how it made her who she is. But at the same time, it makes it seem like the whole town does nothing but drink and get drunk. The bar that Laverna (Rachel’s mom) owns opens at 8 am. Really? Bars are allowed to do that?
The third thing I have an issue with concerns Ronda, and how she’s described throughout. When she is first mentioned, Laverna asks, “Where’s that war whoop?” There are several other negative mentions of her heritage in the book. I am assuming she is Native American, given the way she’s described, but there has to be better ways of saying that.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed reading the book, once I got over some of the topics and descriptions. Did I like the end? That is a big NO! I honestly can’t believe that Bert got away with it. I do hope that the author plans to visit Quinn again, as I would like to know more about the Flood Girls.
In the end, the book is about making amends for your past transgressions. We all have said and done things that we regret as we get older. It’s how we learn and grow from those transgressions that make us better people. I hope that you will feel the same way after reading The Flood Girls.
Feel free to check out some of my other book reviews for your next read.