Passing through Perfect (The Wyattsville, #3)

by Bette Lee Crosby

[kimbacaffeinate]

Passing through Perfect, focuses on the life of Benjamin Church, a sharecropper’s son. He returns home from the war and begins farming alongside his father. It is the story of love, loss, heartache, joy and one man’s determination to provide for his family. The tale spans a good eleven years and I quickly became caught up in the characters.

Crosby clearly captures Alabama in the early 50’s and segregation. Passing through Perfect is told from a few perspectives each delivered in separate chapters. Benjamin’s is the predominant voice and I quickly connected with him. Delia and folks from Wyattsville are the others. I wondered how Crosby was going to bring Wyattsville into the story and she did so brilliantly. I laughed with these characters, felt pain for them and shed a few tears right alongside them. Benjamin is clever, soft-spoken and has this dignity about him that I could not help but admire. Delia story touched me, from her strength to her yearning for a better way of life just over the horizon.

Passing through Perfect flowed wonderfully as Crosby brought their daily lives to life while relating a powerful story about prejudice and intolerance during this period. Free but not equal. She managed to capture both the worst of man and the best of him. I think the author said it best in the notes at the beginning of the book. She mentions tales are not good or bad it is simply what it was. Her descriptive writing style allowed me to smell the collards's, taste the heat and feel the rain on my face. The title was cleverly weaved into the tale and I smiled to myself when it happened. Memorable, poignant and powerful Passing through Perfect is a tale that will stay with you, long after the book is closed.

Copy provided by author.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer