Collected's 24in24... Caly recommends - Perris, California - Rachel Stark

Caly recommends... Perris, California is a gritty, tender and extremely moving coming of age story. Rachel Stark's debut novel tackles issues of queer motherhood in rural America with vivid wit. Following a woman through her third pregnancy as she begins to question the choices she has made and existence she has created, Stark explores poverty and maternal sacrifice with admirable skill and sensitivity. It's such an amazing novel and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

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Abandoned first by her father and then her mother, Tessa grows up with her abusive stepfather and stepbrother. She survives by finding reserves of strength in herself, and by the surprising, transformative love of another teenage girl, Mel, who sees through Tessa's tough exterior to the vulnerable woman inside. Years on, 27-year-old Tessa, pregnant with her third child and living in a trailer on her mother-in-law's property, re-encounters the woman she used to love - leading her to question the very foundations of the life she's built.

A tender family story that introduces us to an indelible female character, one who speaks of the unvarnished courage of women living in a mostly unseen America.