Publisher: Philomel Books
Published February 12, 2013
Hardcover, 346 pages
Overview:
It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.
Review:
I don't read much historical fiction, but I loved Ruta Sepetys's first novel, Between Shades of Gray, and that was reason enough to for me to read Out of the Easy. One thing that made Out of the Easy stand out for me was the 1950s New Orleans setting: Ruta Sepetys's writing is vivid and full of life, and I could perfectly imagine just how Josie's world is laid out. The characterization is fantastic as well: all the characters have depth, flaws, and real problems; they could easily be real people instead of just fictional ones.
One of my favorite things about Out of the Easy is how realistic it really is: the "bad guys" aren't all bad, and the "good guys" aren't all good. The story emulates reality in that not everything gets solved, and wrongdoers don't always get the punishments they deserve for their crimes. The end is left open, looking hopefully towards the future, just like real life.
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