If The Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss

In a small town in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, a newcomer with a mysterious past comes to educate the youth of the town and ends up learning many new things, herself.  Kate is a teacher who was terminated from her previous position but travels to Baines Creek to work as the town teacher.  Sadie Blue is a young woman who becomes pregnant to a man who is cruel and controlling of her.  Roy and Billie were abused as youngsters and take out their frustration on Sadie and other women.  Eli Perkins is a preacher who wants the best for his community but his sister, Prudence, is as mean as Eli is kind.  Weiss tells each character's story in a fair and impartial way.  She leaves no stone unturned and lets readers know that there are often untold reasons for crimes as heinous as spousal abuse and murder.  Oftentimes, that reason is simply poverty and a hopelessness that one will never escape it. 

I really enjoyed this book for its brave honesty and Weiss' refusal to allow fear or discomfort prevent her from telling hard truths about life.  The characters are perfect.  It is easy for the reader to see the story from all sides when reading If the Creek Don't Rise.  The stories were often hard to stomach.  These are painful accounts from a world that many live in but few in society wants to admit really exists.  When I was reading it, I felt as if I was reading a story set in the mid-1800s but soon realized that I was reading an almost-modern tale of a town who has yet to become modern.  I learned a lot about Appalachian culture from reading this book and I think anyone who enjoys southern fiction or women's fiction will love this book. 

My Rating:
★★★★☆

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