Miriam Black is trying to be good, no really; she has spent the past year – off the road – with Louis, her trucker manfriend. Miriam has a job as a checkout girl at a local grocery store and at night she comes home to her trailer, which she shares with Louis – though, Louis is gone most of the time. All is horribly normal until Miriam is fired from her job – as it turns out, she’s really not that great with people – and decides to check out of her normal life all together.
Miriam packs her bag and head’s back on the road. Her first attempt at hitchhiking lands her right back into the cab of Louis’ truck. She expects Louis to try to convince her to stay; instead he extends a job offer to her. A friend of his, a teacher at a school for troubled girls (the Caldecott School) is a hypochondriac, the job is go to visit this teacher and tell her how she dies. Miriam accepts, without hesitation, to Louis’ dismay. He so wanted her to pick him over adventure.
The job is supposed to be easy, touch the teacher, tell her future, and get $500 bucks. But of course, the easy way is NOT the Miriam Black way. Miriam creeps out the teacher, lies to her about her future, then hangs around the school getting drunk and dying her hair in the girl’s bathroom. She ends up in the Principal’s office and meets a snotty little girl named, Wren. Complete shithead … like a mini-Miriam. Miriam foresees a horribly violent death destined for Wren. After being kick off campus for her drunken salon session, Miriam must decide if she wants to once again turn against fate to save a young girl.
I hate to harp on this, but at the beginning of the first book, I really hated Miriam Black. I began enjoying Miriam prior to the middle of the first book. It still floors me how attached I became to this character, by the middle of this book I was concerned for her. Like, oh god, I hope she gets out of this one. It’s such a fun feeling to be connected to a character like Miriam. The end of this book hinted at a third, which I am eagerly awaiting.
I would highly recommend this book … to folks who can laugh at vulgar language and who can withstand some pretty violent scenes. Also, those who can appreciate an author with a sense of humor, who doesn’t mind dragging his character through the ringer; Miriam was almost killed in the last book and unlike some leading ladies who have near misses with death, Miriam has the scars to prove it.
Favorite quote, “She gets on her tippy-toes and kisses him. Long, slow, deep. The kind of kiss where you can feel little pieces of your soul trading places as mouths open and breath mingles. “
Mockingbird was released on August 28th by Angry Robot, please buy at your local independent bookseller.
Find out more about Chuck Wendig at terribleminds.
Coming up next week … Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon.
