Truly has been enormous since before she even took her first breath. While pregnant her mother got so huge that the town was betting on the weight of the bouncing baby boy that would surely be coming any day now, some even bet there were twins. Once delivered, Truly's mother died and she was left in a home with an older sister that was as petite and beautiful as any girl could possibly dream to be and a father that blamed her for killing her mother. Obviously her life did not start out on the best note, and it didn't get any better for her either.
Tiffany Baker takes decades of time and weaves them together into a beautifully written novel centered on the life of Truly. She is a woman of great size, larger than the men in the town, and she has always been bigger from the beginning of her time. Her sister is embarrassed of her, her father doesn't know what to do with her and the rest of the town either avoids her or treats her terribly.
I found myself thinking about these people even when I was forced to put it down and return to real life for a bit. It was so well written and descriptive that I felt like I was living there with them. I can picture Amelia's farm and the cemetary and Robert Morgan's house with the Doctor's office attached. This was a phenomenal debut novel for Baker and I can't wait to see what else she may come out with in the future. The emotion that comes out of this is so amazing, I definitely recommend this one!
*******Spoilers*********
For my Christian friends and fellow readers... I want to put out a couple of things for those of you that may be a little more conservative in your reading choices than I am. One of the male main characters grows up feeling different. He would rather wear dresses and make up than play sports and be tough. In high school he begins a relationship with another boy and in the end of the book they move in together to live as a couple. The only thing in the book between then besides the basic info I just listed is a kiss in the attic one afternoon, there is no other mention of anything they do together besides love each other and treat each other well. Also, one of the older generations that are tied into the story has a woman that healed people using herbs and natural remedies and she is referred to as a 'witch' in the story because she uses alternative means of helping.
