Book Review: What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well-written with an intriguing premise and superb characterization, What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris is a gripping read.
The story revolves around thirty-nine-year-old Deena Wood, who recently moved back to her childhood home in Brunswick, Georgia, where she lives with her father and his new wife, Ruth. The move hasn’t been easy for Deena. She is still grieving the loss of her mother and her recent divorce and having to move back home and take up an unfulfilling job after being fired from her position as a litigator in a prestigious law firm in Atlanta hasn’t been a pleasant experience. On a day trip to the south Georgia Coast to clear her mind, she encounters Holcomb Gardner, who looks to be in his seventies living in a trailer, who claims she is trespassing on his property – land that he jointly owned with his sister Delilah. Deena is curious and on looking into the details, discovers that Delilah is recently deceased and when she attempts to meet Holcomb again, she finds him gone -and the land up for sale, which her suspicions as Holcomb had been adamant about protecting what was rightfully his. Deena sets out to find out what happened to the Gardner family and who is behind the realty company that is facilitating the sale of the Gardners' land.
As Deena embarks on her quest to find out what happened to Holcomb, she uncovers a complex web of illegal land grabs targeting low-income communities, political corruption, corporate greed, conspiracy and murder. As Deena gets closer to the truth, it is evident that there are players in the mix who resort to any means to stop Deena and she will need all the help she can get.
The plot, the writing and the characters grabbed from the very first page and I stayed up all night reading this novel, simply unable to put it down until I reached the end. The story touches upon themes of grief, family, community, inheritance and legacy. The narrative is shared for the most part from Deena’s first-person POV with the other narrators’ perspectives shared in short chapters interspersed throughout the narrative.
I enjoyed following Deena’s character arc and getting to know the people in her support system (Uncle Duke was one of my favorite characters) and thought that the author has done a commendable job of striking a balance between Deena’s home life, personal troubles, family history and the primary plotline, weaving the different threads of the narrative together into a consistently paced, well crafted, suspenseful narrative with enough twist sand surprises (with a touch of the supernatural) to keep you turning the pages. The romance track was maturely handled and did not distract from the main plot. I was satisfied with how the author chose to end the novel and enjoyed the climax, which followed a tension-filled build-up.
The elements of Gullah-Geechee culture and beliefs and the historical detail on Igbo Landing at Dunbar Creek on St. Simons Island, Georgia, incorporated into the plot, certainly enriched the narrative.
Do read the informative Afterword where she discusses the issue of heir’s property and the places and people that inspired this novel.
This was my first time reading Wanda Morris and I look forward to exploring more of her work.
Finally, I love that cover!
Many thanks to William Morrow for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The story revolves around thirty-nine-year-old Deena Wood, who recently moved back to her childhood home in Brunswick, Georgia, where she lives with her father and his new wife, Ruth. The move hasn’t been easy for Deena. She is still grieving the loss of her mother and her recent divorce and having to move back home and take up an unfulfilling job after being fired from her position as a litigator in a prestigious law firm in Atlanta hasn’t been a pleasant experience. On a day trip to the south Georgia Coast to clear her mind, she encounters Holcomb Gardner, who looks to be in his seventies living in a trailer, who claims she is trespassing on his property – land that he jointly owned with his sister Delilah. Deena is curious and on looking into the details, discovers that Delilah is recently deceased and when she attempts to meet Holcomb again, she finds him gone -and the land up for sale, which her suspicions as Holcomb had been adamant about protecting what was rightfully his. Deena sets out to find out what happened to the Gardner family and who is behind the realty company that is facilitating the sale of the Gardners' land.
As Deena embarks on her quest to find out what happened to Holcomb, she uncovers a complex web of illegal land grabs targeting low-income communities, political corruption, corporate greed, conspiracy and murder. As Deena gets closer to the truth, it is evident that there are players in the mix who resort to any means to stop Deena and she will need all the help she can get.
The plot, the writing and the characters grabbed from the very first page and I stayed up all night reading this novel, simply unable to put it down until I reached the end. The story touches upon themes of grief, family, community, inheritance and legacy. The narrative is shared for the most part from Deena’s first-person POV with the other narrators’ perspectives shared in short chapters interspersed throughout the narrative.
I enjoyed following Deena’s character arc and getting to know the people in her support system (Uncle Duke was one of my favorite characters) and thought that the author has done a commendable job of striking a balance between Deena’s home life, personal troubles, family history and the primary plotline, weaving the different threads of the narrative together into a consistently paced, well crafted, suspenseful narrative with enough twist sand surprises (with a touch of the supernatural) to keep you turning the pages. The romance track was maturely handled and did not distract from the main plot. I was satisfied with how the author chose to end the novel and enjoyed the climax, which followed a tension-filled build-up.
The elements of Gullah-Geechee culture and beliefs and the historical detail on Igbo Landing at Dunbar Creek on St. Simons Island, Georgia, incorporated into the plot, certainly enriched the narrative.
Do read the informative Afterword where she discusses the issue of heir’s property and the places and people that inspired this novel.
This was my first time reading Wanda Morris and I look forward to exploring more of her work.
Finally, I love that cover!
Many thanks to William Morrow for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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