- ASIN: B09Z7D4W6P
- Publisher: LAKE Publications (June 7, 2022)
- Publication date: June 7, 2022
- Language: English
- Print length: 365 pages
- Genre: Biographies & Memoirs of Women
The BookViral Review:
Beautifully and honestly written, ‘From the Flood’, is the spellbinding childhood memoir of Suzanne Jones, encompassing the great floods of Hurricane Agnes in the 70’s, and the magical world which blossomed from its putrid destruction and devastation.
With a poignancy that cannot fail to elicit the deep emotion of childhood joy, we follow Suzanne’s journey of tragedy and rebirth, and of the constant protection from family and good friends, as they too are undeniably changed by the events thrust upon them.
Through the inquisitive yet innocent eyes of a young child, we experience with her the enchanted experience of an imagination so powerful it transforms a governmentally supplied trailer park into a paradisaic adventure playground, where with her young friends and an exceptionally inventive babysitter, Char, Suzanne experiences two of the most wonderful years of her life.
Her quirky personality shines through as she ponders deep issues and interrogates her own and other’s actions and motivations, often with hilarious conclusions, but nevertheless stoically accepts the chain of command, be that of her humorously manipulative sister, Jan, her parents, or God himself!
The young Suzanne implicitly teaches invaluable lessons about what is important in life; a lesson about the warm and protective security that only supportive human contact and nurture can supply, and that it is only by curiosity and inner questioning that humans can mature into well-adjusted and emotionally resilient individuals.
With exquisite attention to detail, Jones captures the essence of both the time period and psyche of her younger self, as she negotiates the fears and unfamiliar territory of growing up in a time where previously taboo issues began their journey to normality. From her Mother exerting a new-and at times worrying-independence, and Jamie, a hilarious, overtly feminine and larger-than-life childhood friend, to Pop-pop-with-the-Chi-Chi and his ‘best friend Joe’, Jones delicately demonstrates the young uzanne’s realisation and acceptance of difference and discrimination, as she faces her own blooming.
Jones’ powerful and extremely touching narration pulls you in and commands attention from the first word to the last, leaving the reader wishing for another instalment of how the tender-aged, apprehensive, but instinctively wise Suzanne negotiated her teenage years.
A unique and highly enjoyable read 5 star read, ‘From the Flood’ is unreservedly recommended.