Clarabelle's Rose

From the book cover:
Clarabelle Simmons, who has been physically abused throughout her childhood, hears her racist father plotting to murder a local black man, but remains silent fearing she might be killed as well. Shortly thereafter, Clarabelle is raped by a mentally challenged black man and gives birth to a biracial daughter she calls Rose. Along the way, she meets and befriends a black woman whose family was affected by Clarabelle's father's hatred. As their friendship blossoms, secrets are revealed, that can destroy them. Will they succeed at finding justice or will their efforts be futile? Clarabelle, Sara and Rose take the reader on a journey and along the way they discover forgiveness, redemption and friendship.

My Review:

Spelling mistakes, misused words, a weak plot and over-the-top stereotypical characters - there's so much wrong with this novel, I'm struggling to find one thing to praise. So I'll just have to settle on the fact that the author, Judy Kashi, mostly had good intentions in writing this novel. Where did she go wrong?

The novel opens with Sara Jones preparing dinner for her husband and three daughters and quickly takes a dark turn when three Klu Klux Klan members arrive. They drag her husband outside and lynch him in front of his family and set their home on fire. This is 1960s Proxie, Mississippi.

Enter Clarabelle Simmons, the daughter of one of the KKK members that killed Sara's husband. She's a 17-year-old wild child counting down the days until she can finish high school, marry her boyfriend and leave Proxie with her 4-year-old brother. Clarabelle's home life is in tatters. Her father physically and verbally abuses the entire family; her uncle molests her; and her mother resents that her.

One day while hanging out in the woods by her home, Clarabelle is raped by mentally challenged black man. When she discovers that she is pregnant, she desperately hopes and prays that the child is her boyfriend’s. When Rose is born, there is no denying she is part black.

In despair, her mother commits suicide and her father attempts to smother Rose, leaving Clarabelle with no choice but to leave town to keep her daughter safe. 

With the help of several good Samaritans, Clarabelle winds up in New York where she raises her daughter, builds a relationship with Sara Jones (who moved to New York after her husband's murder) and reconnects with her high school boyfriend.

Unable to escape her past, Clarabelle returns to Proxie to see that her father is brought to justice for his crimes, and to rescue the brother she was forced to leave behind years before.

There's too much happening in this novel, and most of it isn't believable. The bad characters are too bad, and the good characters are too good. It's all just too much.

2/5