Summary from Goodreads:Doris--a lone liberal in a conservative small town--has mostly kept to herself since the terrible waterslide incident a few years ago. Nell had to leave behind her best friends, perfect life, and too-good-to-be-true boyfriend in Chicago to move to Alabama. Grant was the star quarterback and epitome of "Mr. Popular" whose drinking problem has all but destroyed his life. What do these three have in common? A summer job working in a store called Unclaimed Baggage cataloging and selling other people's lost luggage. Together they find that through friendship, they can unpack some of their own emotional baggage and move on into the future.
My Review:
I went into this novel completely blind. I had no idea what it was about and Jen Doll was a new author to me. I'm glad that I picked this up and that I won the ARC on goodreads because it was such a good book!
What I Liked:
Characters. I was nervous going into a novel that has so many characters and points of view but Doll made it work. I cannot say who I liked the best because the three main characters along with the side ones were so well-developed.
Points of View. The novel has four different points of view, three main characters. However, one of the points of view is from a object, a suitcase so that was interesting to read. I liked how the author labeled each chapter with the characters name and how each of them felt distinctly different from each other.
Plot. I loved the plot and how Doll shows the culture of Alabama in her novel. Plus, the Unclaimed Baggage aspect (which is a real store) was so interesting to read about. I really want to visit it!
Main Messages. Jen Doll does a great job including important messages, about addiction, friendship, racism, and acceptance. The characters were not perfect instead they are flawed and realistic.
I recommend checking out this well-done contemporary but be warned it will make you tear up.
My Rating:
5 Stars out of 5 Stars
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