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A review by candacesiegle_greedyreader
The Great Offshore Grounds by Vanessa Veselka
4.0
Cheyenne and Livy are off to their father's wedding. They are half sisters--same dad, different moms, raised by one mother with no idea of who the other mother might be. Since he has never supported them in any way, they are hopeful that there might be some money involved which would be awesome since they are--call it what you will--financially insecure, struggling, or just plain poor. He has specially requested that they attend his wedding which has them hoping; but at the very least, they will get something to eat besides Ramen and have brought along storage containers to make the most of the buffet.
But their father does not have any money for them. He has a name, possibly of the other mother. This sets them on something of across-country quest, but a quest performed with cheap rental cars and a vat of peanut butter to provide food for the trip. Livy gives up and goes back to fishing in Alaska, but Cheyenne, thinking that it is her mother she's seeking, keeps going.
The characters are appealing and you care about them, but at the same time you'll want to shake them. Their whole determination to "stick it to the man" has left them so poor almost everything they do becomes a high stakes game. They are constantly dependent on the kindness of strangers, and one of the most touching things in "The Great Offshore Grounds" is how often strangers rise to the occasion.
The pros about this novel is that it is very different, with characters we infrequently meet in situations that you don't want to believe but you know are probably true. The cons? It's hard to see such bright, driven, creative women work so hard for so little. But those are the times we live in.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this fine novel.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
But their father does not have any money for them. He has a name, possibly of the other mother. This sets them on something of across-country quest, but a quest performed with cheap rental cars and a vat of peanut butter to provide food for the trip. Livy gives up and goes back to fishing in Alaska, but Cheyenne, thinking that it is her mother she's seeking, keeps going.
The characters are appealing and you care about them, but at the same time you'll want to shake them. Their whole determination to "stick it to the man" has left them so poor almost everything they do becomes a high stakes game. They are constantly dependent on the kindness of strangers, and one of the most touching things in "The Great Offshore Grounds" is how often strangers rise to the occasion.
The pros about this novel is that it is very different, with characters we infrequently meet in situations that you don't want to believe but you know are probably true. The cons? It's hard to see such bright, driven, creative women work so hard for so little. But those are the times we live in.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this fine novel.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader