The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall
I'm always up for reading an author who decides to take a chance and write a novel that's quite different from their previous works. Kathy Hepinstall wrote two previous books that I loved: Blue Asylum and Sisters of Shiloh. Both revolved around the Civil War and took place in the South. The Book of Polly does have a distinctly Southern flavor, but it's contemporary and utterly wonderful. Told through the voice of Polly's young daughter Willow, the story unfolds with an unusual twist: Polly became pregnant with Willow at age 58, and found out she was pregnant just after the sudden death of the Captain, Polly's husband. Willow's mother is much older than her schoolmate's mothers, and Willow is obsessed with her mother dying. Her obsession leads her to spin wild tales about her mother, and Willow becomes a very colorful liar. Polly is a pretty unusual mother, and not just because of her age. She's a real pistol; witty, sassy, and not above borrowing...