Bibliography: Wall, Carolyn. (August 2009). Sweeping Up Glass. New York: Random House. ISBN: 9780385343039
Plot Summary: Olivia has had a hard life, and as winter sets in, with no one stopping to buy groceries at her little shop, and no money to restock groceries anyway, she worries about getting herself and William through the winter. But she’s survived worse, and they will survive this too. But then she discovers someone is killing silver wolves on her property. She thinks she knows who is doing it, but how to prove it? In the process of trying to get justice for the wolves, Olivia uncovers secrets that have been buried and lost for years, along with danger for those she loves and love she didn’t think she deserved.
Critical Analysis: It took me several pages to really get into this story. The very beginning describing the lands and the wolves and the sort of drabness of winter didn’t grab me, but I had heard from several people that this was an excellent book, so I pushed through and I was so glad I did. Once the story shifts backwards in time to Olivia’s growing up, I became invested in her, in her relationships, friendships, loves and heartbreaks, and I had to know, how had she become what she was in the present story? Abandoned by her mother, loved by her father, embraced by a spiritual African American community that takes care of her own. The narrative switches back and forth between the past and the present, and as the reader sees where Olivia came from, questions start to arise about the true nature of events, resulting in more than a few surprises for the reader and Olivia, and a fiery life or death climax. Olivia’s voice is genuine and true and real, and I ached alongside her when she lost her mother, her father, her first love, her husband, her daughter, the wolves. Olivia is a fighter, and I found myself fighting alongside, knowing something was not quite right and yet not knowing what that was until Wall expertly revealed it. Wall’s genius lies in peeling back the layers of the story, starting with what Olivia thinks is true and moving towards the real truth that is both surprising and expected at the same time. I have seen this listed as a mystery, which indeed it is, but it is again another genre bending (if not breaking) title. I hope that doesn’t mean that it will fly under the radar.
Readalikes: I have seen some compare this title to the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. And I can see that, in a way. But for me, I feel like this is a better fit for those who loved The Secret Life of Bees, as Olivia reminds me a great deal of Lily, as both girls have in some ways idealized their pasts and have questions and nagging thoughts about what happened to them. I was also reminded of Anne Rivers Siddons’ Nora, Nora, another female Southern coming of age story grounded in loss and love and finding your true self.
Review Excerpts:
Starred review: “The strong, fresh narrative voice pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go in Wall’s stunning debut…As the action moves inexorably to its explosive conclusion, Olivia must come to grips with past betrayals, thereby earning a second chance at love, redemption and long overdue justice.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“This debut novel does so much more than traditional, tightly focused mysteries. It has a powerfully, sometimes uncomfortably, realized setting; characters who seem drawn from life; and a wide-ranging plot, bursting with complications…A gripping story and a truly original voice—Wall is a new author to watch closely.–Booklist
**Note: This book was to be published by Poisoned Pen Press when Random House bought the rights. I am a volunteer manuscript reader for Poisoned Pen Press, but the first time I saw this title was when I was sent the ARC from Random House.
