THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

A mesmerizing account of a debased woman, with mental issues, whose children struggle daily to survive her.  Suspenseful and disturbing, the unforgettable novel is clearly written and excellently plotted. 

Roselle Quinn resides in rural Georgia in the 1950’s and is the mother of ten children, sired from ten different men.  While the attractive, light-skinned, Roselle can pass for white, she cleans houses for white families.  Roselle, who runs her own home with a brutal fist and a selfish hand, takes the only bed in the house for herself and leaves her children to sleep on the floor, no matter how cold.

Tangy Mae believes her mother a beauty, with her dark, reddish hair and creamy complexion, but she knows the devil that lies beneath.  Roselle loves her sons but only uses her daughters, categorizing them by color.  Roselle forces Tangy Mae, the darkest of her children, to take over her housekeeping job.  Tangy Mae intends to finish school however, Roselle, has different plans for her daughters.