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.
