A Touch of Southern Grace : Dollbaby

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Dollbaby

For those of you who follow me on Instagram you already know that I spent a relaxing week at the beach last week. So naturally I spent a fair amount of my time listening to the waves crash onto the sand while reading a book; I’ll admit I went on a bit of a reading binge last week… something about the ocean always puts me in the mood for a good southern fiction – Laura Lane McNeal’s debut novel, Dollbaby, is southern fiction as its finest.

After Ibby Bell’s father dies in an unexpected accident, her mother packs her up and drops Ibby off at her eccentric grandmother’s house. Ibby’s grandmother, Fannie, is like no one she has ever meet – she is even known for having a tendency to end up in the local asylum for a couple weeks. Fannie’s cook and her daughter take it upon themselves to educate Ibby on the ways of the South – traditions, recipes, and even its darkest secrets.

Ibby’s arrival from D.C. to New Orleans starts to unlock some family history that has, in some cases, been locked up for years. With the guidance of Fannie and her two housekeepers, Queenie and Dollbaby, Ibby is shown that sometimes family can be found in unexpected places.

I very highly recommend Dollbaby, by Laura Lane McNeal. It is an outstanding debut novel a reader can get lost in for hours on end. Read it – I am 99.9% sure it is a book that everyone will enjoy.