Thursday , March 28 2024
Can Sugar become the girl that Even sees beyond the mirror? She must decide soon or sink into the mire that has become her role in the family.

Book Review: ‘Sugar’ by Deirdre Riordan Hall

24202275In Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall we meet a young woman named Sugar Legowski-Gracia. Food is a part of who she is, and while she is not as big as her mama, she is certainly on her way. Her mom is so heavy she no longer gets out of bed, and she is mean. Nothing that Sugar does is right, and even though she waits on her taking care of her, her mom is ungrateful.

Her brother is even worse, he is heavy, rude and crude, and his attitude even outdoes that of their mother. Life seems nothing but downhill.

When Sugar meats Even — his father was illiterate so the spelling is correct — she has her first opportunity to have a friend who  sees her, not her weight, but the real her. As their friendship builds, Sugar finds that she has more control; she begins to think of the future, something that has always seemed beyond her.

Can she become the girl that Even sees beyond the mirror? She must decide soon or sink into the mire that has become her role in the family.

Hall gives us characters that are quite real. As you delve into her work you think back to those you have met, and you can see the same circumstances and personalities of some people in your own past. The hopelessness of the situation draws you in, making you feel the pain of rejection.

Introducing Even, a young man who looks deeper than most, she creates a shift in the reality of the darkness consuming her title character. You can feel a weight lifted, as hope and joy begin to bud. At the same time, strength must be found for to go against family and move in a differing direction takes fortitude.

If you enjoy literary works that make you think, works that create hope and courage, you will find this to be a great read. Hall has taken us into the mindset of lost hope and grief, and shown us around, while bringing us the light to see our way clear.

This would be a great book for a reading group or a discussion group. There is a great deal of controversial dialogue available.

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About Leslie Wright

Leslie Wright is an author and blogger in the Northwest.

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