Christine Grillo's debut novel, Hestia Strikes a Match, is sure to strike a chord with its pinpoint take on political polarization, modern love and generational divides, all delivered in a quick-witted and big-hearted narrative.
Hestia Harris is looking for love again after losing her husband to the American Civil War. The year is 2023, and a new civil war has arisen in the U.S. following the death of President 46. Twelve states have seceded. Instead of bloody battles between formal militaries, the war happens via digital misinformation and guerilla attacks on citizens and infrastructure. Hestia's husband joined a pro-Union paramilitary group, and hasn't contacted her in more than a year. Sort-of single in Baltimore, Md., a border state prone to infrastructure attacks, former journalist Hestia works at a retirement home where she leads residents in recording their lived history. Divorce paperwork would be "such an ass-ache," so she hits the dating apps while still technically married. Walking with Hestia on the rocky road of love are younger coworker Sarah, who informs her that "Happiness is an inside job," and Mildred, a no-punches-pulled octogenarian at the retirement village. Underlying Hestia's quest for companionship is a growing fracture in her family as her emotionally distant parents relocate into confederate territory.
The political becomes painfully personal for Grillo's heroine in this neatly tweaked version of the modern U.S., where holiday table arguments have blossomed into bloodshed. Mildred sagely explains, "America's polarized because some people like change, and some people don't. And everything is changing." Hestia's first-person narration sparkles with humor. Grillo will hook readers with her wit and leave them reeling in a shocking ending that brings home the story's considerable emotional heft. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads