Review: Backseat Saints

Title:  Backseat Saints
Author:  Joshilyn Jackson
Source:  Personal copy

Synopsis from Amazon:
Jackson’s absorbing and rewarding fourth novel spotlights Rose Mae Lolly, a minor character from her popular debut, Gods in Alabama (2005). Rose is now living under the thumb of her abusive husband and his domineering father. A Gypsy in an airport who reads her tarot cards turns Rose’s life upside down when she tells Rose that if she doesn’t kill her husband, he will surely kill her. When Rose realizes that the Gypsy is in fact her mother, who abandoned her when Rose was eight and left her with her abusive father, she takes her advice, but accidentally shoots her beloved dog instead. Rose comes to believe that hope lies in finding Jim, the high-school football star who was the only boy who ever treated her well. As her search for Jim morphs into a bid to free herself of her past, Rose goes on a cross-country mission to escape her husband and find herself. Jackson peels back Rose’s hard edges and resignation to reveal a smart, earnest, brave, and surprisingly hopeful young woman who yearns to make a better life for herself. Rose’s salvation, when it comes, is positively breathtaking.

My review:
I have read a couple of Joshilyn Jackson's previous books and absolutely loved them, so I knew I had to read this one.  I really liked how the author took a minor character from her previous book Gods in Alabama (which I also really enjoyed) and gave her her own story.  Like all of Jackson's novel, Backseat Saints is very well written.  I also really liked how the author focused on one character and made her feel very real and alive.  As a reader I felt very connected to Rose and was rooting for her, but at the same time, she is not perfect and is very unsure of herself and which of her personalities is the real her.  I also really liked how the ending neatly tied everything up and didn't disappoint the reader.  Jackson is one of the few authors who I make it a point to get their books as soon as they come out- in hardcover, which is very rare for me.  I highly recommend Backseat Saints and all of her previous work. 

Rating: 5 stars (my first!)