Reader Radar #5

Title: It's Okay to Cry

Author:         Janice Daugharty

Publisher:    Amazon Digital Services

Medium:      Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:  Bethann, a struggling college student, decides to take care of Holly, her evil, manipulative younger sister after their grandmother, who raised them, dies. But Holly is a mess. And en route to Miami after the funeral, Bethann lays down the rules to Holly, while mentally trying to understand what makes Holly tick. If Bethann can figure her out she can fix her. So she thinks.

I really struggled this week to find something worthy of Reader Radar.  I read some really mediocre short stories - some were okay, others were good, a couple I couldn’t finish, but out of the dozen or more that I read, only one stood out, and it has stuck with me through the entire week.  I can’t seem to shake this story, which is a good thing when it comes to reading anything. Finally, I found a southern writer that fit exactly what I was looking for!

It’s Okay to Cry by Janice Daugharty was a quick little read, but the lingering effects are still haunting my thoughts days later.  I can’t seem to get Bethann and Holly out of my mind.  This short story gives the reader good sister versus bad sister, moral versus immoral, lively versus sloth, all within a matter of a few hours of time passing.

Bethann is finally making something of herself and in being successful and older, wants the same for her now orphaned little sister.  She decides to take Holly back to South Florida and give her a new lease on life.  Holly has other bad ideas.  Driving through parts of rainy, rural Florida at interstate speed Holly and Bethann clash like the lightning and thunderstorm erupting over them.

Daugharty creates superb symbolism in such a short period of time that you couldn’t help but cheer Bethann’s attempts and wanting as badly as she does to shake some sense into Holly.  You could feel the rain and the speed of the traffic along the highway.  You could almost smell the chicken scent on Holly intertwined with the stench of stale cigarettes and body odor.  You could see Holly’s glowing eyes in the storm.  You could smell the rain and the asphalt and exhaust from the traffic.  

I really enjoyed It’s Okay to Cry, and will definitely keep Janice Daugharty on my Reader Radar!  I wonder what other smashing tales she has to tell…