Milwaukee - Home of the Brave(s)

I didn't grow up in the 50's or 60's but author Lesley Kagen took me there with Whistling in the Dark.  I didn't grow up in Milwaukee (or even in the Midwest), but I have heard of Samson and now I feel like I've met him.  (Samson is Sally's favorite exhibit at the zoo and she visits him frequently.)  In this book, the author has captured the sights and sounds of a Milwaukee neighborhood and a midwest summer in the city perfectly.  The people you meet in this book seem real.  This is not the Milwaukee of "Happy Days" or "Laverne and Shirley" where everything works out perfectly fine in the end after a heart to heart talk with Mr. Cunningham or "The Fonz".  These people have PROBLEMS and young Sally O'Malley and her sister "Troo" are in the middle of them. 

Samson

Sally made promises to her dying father that she is having trouble keeping.  She promised her dying father that she would look after her little sister.  However, Troo is a wild one and difficult to manage.  There are neighborhood bullies to stand up to, an abusive step-father who has gone on a drinking binge, a mother in the hospital fighting for her life and a teenage sister who is too busy with boys to look after two little girls properly.  As if this wasn't difficult enough, there is a murdering molester on the prowl and Sally's over-active imagination has thrown her (and the reader) completely off the trail of the real killer.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the relationship between Sally and her little sister.  At times, Troo's shocking behavior may lead you to believe that she is the older sister.  The authenticity of the lost little girls (and Sally's point of view) as they struggle to take care of themselves one long hot summer will immerse you in the story.  Similar to Emma Donoghue's Room, this book pulls you into the mind of a child trying to deal with life's unusual situations.  The interactions between the sisters takes me to Lorna Landvik's book, Patty Jane's House of Curl.  Most of all, I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Good Graces.  Perfect reading as we wait for summer and a visit to the City of Festivals.