Darcey Steinke's writing delves into the complexities of the human psyche and our relationship with the natural world. Her prose is known for its deep immersion into characters' feelings, employing evocative imagery that draws readers into their inner lives. Through her work, she explores themes of identity, desire, and the ongoing search for meaning in the modern world. Steinke's ability to render unsettling yet beautiful scenes distinguishes her as a unique voice in contemporary literature.
The novel is infused with deep yearning, capturing complex emotions through its vivid imagery and poignant details. It presents a raw exploration of human experiences without resorting to sensationalism. Through its poetic narrative, the story delves into themes of longing and redemption, inviting readers to engage with its profound emotional landscape. Lydia Millet's introduction highlights the novel's artistic depth, indicating that it transcends mere storytelling to evoke a powerful, reflective journey.
Darcey Steinke, an accomplished author, has written five novels, including Sister Golden Hair and Jesus Saves, as well as a memoir titled Easter Everywhere. Her works explore diverse themes and have garnered international recognition, being translated into ten languages.
When Jesse’s family moves to Roanoke, Virginia, in the summer of 1972, she’s 12 years old and already mindful of the schism between innocence and femininity, the gap between childhood and the adult world. Her father, a former pastor, cycles through spiritual disciplines as quickly as he cycles through jobs. Her mother is dissatisfied, glumly fetishizing the Kennedys and anyone else that symbolizes status and wealth. The residents of the Bent Tree housing development may not hold what Jesse is looking for, but they’re all she’s got. Her neighbor speaks of her married lover; her classmate playacts being a Bunny at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club; the boy she’s interested in fantasizes about moving to Hollywood and befriending David Soul. In the midst of it all, Jesse finds space to set up her room with her secret treasures: busts of Emily Dickinson and Shakespeare, a Venus flytrap, her Cher 45s, and The Big Book of Burial Rites, which she reads obsessively. But outside awaits all the misleading sexual mores, muddled social customs, and confused spirituality. Girlhood has never been more fraught than in Jesse’s telling, its expectations threatening to turn at any point into delicious risk, or real danger.
Set in a North Carolina island resort town, the narrative follows Emily, a woman embodying the freedom of the ocean. Her life intertwines with a man who seeks to restrain her independence, while her son navigates the transition to adulthood during a pivotal summer. The story explores themes of freedom, familial relationships, and the struggle between personal desires and societal expectations.
