#sarataylor

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/whats-in-a-name/

What's in a name?

A slow burn of a story as Ma’s story of the role played by the Lauras in her wanderings come to light.

The story is told retrospectively though  Alex’s remembrances some 30 years after the events. Alex was 13 when the story starts, 16 when it ends, and we gradually learn about the important happenings that have caused Ma to set out now, across the USA by car, with all their belongings in the trunk.

We learn of Ma’s grandparents and parents and their problems and how that affected her. We learn of her feet that have always wanted to wander – as do Alex’s – since  she was a small child, and the many attempts she made to set off into the far blue yonder. And how she encountered the Lauras along the way.

We also discover that Ma’s sexual preferences have been confused since she was young – or perhaps she was bi-sexual – and that Alex prefers not to identify with any gender ( not trans, but rather no gender preference).

I was initially inclined to give this road trip novel a 5 star ranking but then decided 4 was more appropriate. Why didn’t Alex make more of a fuss when forced to eat granola all the time rather than real food, or be hungry, cold and dirty without proper toilets and without a bed?  My own experiences of bringing up both a teenage boy and girl is that the boy was always hungry and a bear when not fed, and the girl needed comfort and proper bathroom. So neither would like a 3 year long road trip! So Alex comes over as rather an improbable character.

Dylan wrapped one arm loosely around Sara's waist, tugging her along with him. He was lucky he'd managed to get Ryan's okay as it seemed like her return to the club had been sudden and Sara seemed like a popular whore. "Let's just grab a room." He told her, whispering lowly in her ear. "If you're cool with that." Dylan flashed her a charming smirk before downing the rest of his drink, throwing a 50 on the bar and pulling the girl loosely along with him toward one of the room. He moved his hand into hers, squeezing it suddenly as he knocked on one of the doors, opening it only to catch some whore riding an obviously unattractive man. "WOAH- SORRY!" Dylan laughed before slamming the door. The next one they approached, Dylan did the same thing. He knew which rooms were occupied and which ones were vacant, they had to advertise on the doors so people knew- but he was just doing this for shits and giggles.