Deborah Epperson
Copyright 2011
Breaking TWIG is Deborah Epperson's first novel and is by far her best. :) All kidding aside, this was a refreshing read. Epperson crafted vivid characters, especially the protagonist Becky Leigh (Twig), who kept you tied to the story even if you weren't quite comfortable with what was happening in the story.Breaking TWIG is set in the late 1960's Georgia. It follows Becky has she struggles to grow up under the thumb of an abusive mother struggling with her own demons. In this respect, it reminded me of The Help. The story opens straight into the horrors that are Becky Leigh's life. We meet an unloved young girl raped by her step brother, beaten by her mother and left alone in a world where there are only predators or prey. Yet even in this dark time, we see the complex psychology and are drawn in to Becky's life as she loses one of the only people who love her, endures unspeakable horrors orchestrated by her mother, and manages to survive and even thrive. I sincerely appreciated the story's ending because it wasn't a fairy tale ending. Twig certainly a ends on an upbeat note, but it is not the standard cookie cutter happily ever after.
Congrats to Deborah Epperson for her first novel. And many wishes for more success in the future. Just note, you have set the bar quite high for yourself. I highly recommend that Kindle owners out there snatch up this book especially while it is such a bargain: free for Amazon Prime members and $2.99 to download.
***The Highly Intuitive Child by Catherine Crawford***
