The Dust Bowl Orphans - Suzette D. Harrison

Author: Suzette D. Harrison

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A great read for historical fiction lovers, as long as you can forgive the excessive coincidences in the final quarter.

Story Synopsis:

1935, Oklahoma. Fifteen-year-old Faith, along with her five-year-old sister Hope and the rest of her family is on her way to California in a bid to escape the heat of the Dust Bowl. When a “black blizzard” comes along their path, the two girls are separated from their parents and brother. As girls of mixed Black-Native American origin, how will they ensure that their skin colour doesn’t endanger them? Will they be reunited with their family?

Present day, California. Zoe Edwards is struggling to mend her heart after the death of her newborn and the infidelity of her soon-to-be-ex husband. As she throws herself into her work cataloguing old photographs for a museum exhibition, she comes across a photo of a teenage girl with a startling resemblance to her. Who is this mysterious girl and why does she resemble Zoe?

The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Faith and Zoe.

Where the book worked for me:

❤ The writing is wonderfully descriptive of the era. The era as well as the locales are vividly recreated.

❤ For a change, both timelines kept me equally invested. There’s no repetition of events nor a dip in the pace of the proceedings. There was enough to keep me invested throughout the story.

❤ The characters, especially in the historical timeline, are memorable. I especially love the sisters’ names: Charity, Faith and Hope. Some of the secondary characters are a shade too clichéd but they work for the story.

❤ The story covers many relevant themes such as racism (against Blacks as well as Indians), patriarchy, religious zealotry, infidelity, family bonds, and the importance of supportive relationships. Most of these are written wonderfully.

❤ There’s a slight element of magical realism in the historical timeline, and it works brilliantly for the story.

❤ As this is an OwnVoices book, you can rest assured that the representation is outstanding. It is so diligent that even when topics such as favourite music or favourite books come up, the answer is invariably the name of a Black artist. I loved how it provided a stage to those who don’t often get it.

❤ Some of you might have heard of Florence Thomson, the subject of the famous depression-era photograph “Migrant Mother”. I loved how the author wove that photo into the proceedings and cast light on photographer Dorothea Lange's bias. I love it when historical fiction teaches me something I never knew.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

💔 I don’t particularly enjoy it when romance forces its way into historical fiction. Sometimes, it is well done and I let it go. But in the contemporary timeline of this book, the romance felt shoehorned in. Zoe didn’t need to get a man to find happiness once again.

💔 Zoe’s potential love interest was supposedly sexy, and the author won’t let you forget this fact at all. It gets reiterated time and again. I felt like yelling, “I got it! He is sexy! Stop reminding me!”

💔 So many coincidences, especially in the final quarter. You need plenty of suspension of disbelief to accept all the serendipitous happenings without rolling your eyes.

Overall, it was definitely an enjoyable read. If you can discount the unrealistic coincidences, the story will offer a lot with its realistic lead characters and depiction of past events.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Dust Bowl Orphans”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.