When a young man’s body is found by the railroad tracks, the murder and its mysterious circumstances threaten the peace and security of a small Florida town. Zora believes she knows who killed Ivory, and she isn’t afraid to tell anyone who’ll listen.
Whether Zora is telling the truth or stretching it, she’s a riveting storyteller. Her latest tale is especially mesmerizing because it is so chillingly believable: a murderous shape-shifting gator-man—half man, half gator—prowls the marshes nearby, aching to satisfy his hunger for souls and beautiful voices. And Ivory’s voice? When Ivory sang, his voice was as warm as honey and twice as sweet.
Zora enlists her best friends, Carrie and Teddy, to help prove her theory. In their search for the truth, they stumble unwittingly into an ugly web of envy and lies, deceit and betrayal. Just as unexpectedly, the three friends become the key that unlocks the mystery and the unlikely saviors of Eatonville itself.
Best friend Carrie narrates this coming-of-age story set in the hometown of American author Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960). Drawing on Hurston’s stories, novels, and life, debut novelists Victoria Bond and T. ?R. ?Simon create an utterly convincing echo of a literary giant in this, the only project ever to be endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that was not written by Hurston herself.
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"Outstanding! Based on the childhood of folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, it's a story about a sheltered girl (Zora) living in the mostly black town of Eatonville, Florida, who discovers one summer, to her dismay, that, in the world outside of her town, the color of your skin makes a difference, and that secrets can be dangerous. I loved everything about this story--the authentic dialogue, the setting, the childlike outlooks of Carrie and Zora, and their gradual awakening to the reality of the adult world around them. That summer marked the end of their innocence and the beginning of becoming adults for Carrie, Zora, and their friend Teddy. Bond's descriptions of Eatonville and the children's innocent pastimes made me wish I was there enjoying their fun. The book left me wanting not only to read more about Eatonville and Zora's life but also to read some of her writings, particularly her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road. This book won the 2011 John Steptoe Award (part of the Coretta Scott King Awards) for new talent, and Victoria Bond surely has that. I can't wait to read another book by her, and I highly recommend this one."
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Krista (5 out of 5 stars)