Andy Anderegg's evocative debut novel, Plum, tells a story of a girl growing into a woman amid abuse. J begins as an unnamed young girl who sees her brother take the brunt of her father's anger while the two of them daydream of escape. The novel follows her through the chaos of a high-voltage adolescence, then into adulthood, where she tries to make a life for herself while wrestling with the lasting effects of trauma. Anderegg has a particular knack for infusing big emotion into small and metaphorical moments, like the scattered, rotting plums referenced in the title.
It's a devastating work full of keen observations written in captivating prose, made even more arresting by the second-person form. "One day you will be older, you will have the right look, and you will have escaped this.... 'What's wrong with her?' people will never wonder. Instead they will think, 'What's her secret?' Do not give up until then." This distinctive narrative voice grounds each lightning strike of heartbreak.
The ending is deeply satisfying, the result of an author who has found exactly where the emotional center of the story is. J's life is an exploration of small triumphs against powerful forces, showing the many small ways of moving forward when progress doesn't always feel like progress until one looks back. Plum is a gripping, vital read--a shock straight to the chest. --Carol Caley, writer