backseat saints by Joshilyn Jackson

How to describe such a wonderful, engaging read...this is the first book by this well respected author I have read and it was amazing. Serious themes and issues tied up with the most wonderful characters and pacing that simply pulls you in and drags you along for the ride. A true southern tale set in Texas and ending in California, the story of Rose May/ Ro is very powerful and certainly is not always pretty but the lashings of humour and the delicious and somewhat unconventional thought processes of Ro and her fellow characters are enough to even out the rough. Her ideas are very often spot on but the execution is another matter altogether and as Ro comes to realise how much she has already lost in life and that life itself won`t be hers for much longer if she fails to heed the warning she is given she sets out to find the truth and although her path zig zags somewhat, when it counts her and her beloved dog Fat Gretel make it count.
The characters were fascinating even if any number of them were not what you would call nice and dimensions were added to them as the story unfolded, you really felt as if you knew them and as each page turned you wanted to know/ see what they would do/ how they would act and respond and with this insightful author each character was true to themselves when it was all weighed up, it was not hard to visulize them in all their glory.
The story fairly zinged along, no glug, no gunk. just page after gripping page sharing more of the past, the present and the onwards journey with the reader in a way that made you want to invest in these characters and see their journey through to its end, good or bad. A daughter who needs to re-connect with her mother and a mother who wants to put her failures right, the core of the book is love and forgiveness.
A delightful read, available in paperback via order and also available from the library service.