Ruth P. Watson's debut novel, Blackberry Days of Summer, has a carefree title for a book that oozes with dark secrets and violence. Taking place in the deep South as "the Great War" winds down, the tale is alternately told from the point of view of innocent teenager Carrie and 30-something sultry jazz singer Pearl.
Their narratives center on a weasel of a man, hustler Herman Camm. For Pearl, Herman is an amazing lover, awakening in her a passion that causes her to cheat on her husband. For Carrie, "Mr. Camm" is a predatory monster of a stepfather who sexually harasses Carrie at every turn.
What's amazing here is how Watson portrays the character of Herman Camm through these two women's viewpoints: his behavior is arousing to grown woman Pearl, yet frightening and just plain wrong when he forces it upon his stepdaughter. Watson's depiction of the state of women and African Americans in the early 20th-century South is also enlightening; readers might wonder why Carrie doesn't inform her mother about Mr. Camm's advances, but she is certain she won't be believed. When Mr. Camm ends up dead, you'll cheer: he deserved everything he had coming. What Pearl saw in him, though, remains a mystery--much like the question of just who it was that killed the unsavory character. --Natalie Papailiou, author of blog MILF: Mother I'd Like to Friend