A Tiny Piece of Blue
It’s the depths of the Depression in rural Michigan, and 13-year-old Silstice Trayson is in jail for stealing school supplies. Her family is desperately poor, with neglectful parents; locals refer to them as the “trashy Traysons.” Her older sister Alberta manages to talk the sheriff’s deputy into letting Silly go, as it’s her first offense. Silly gets assigned to participate in a 4-H club to learn to sew, led by childless farm wife Edna Goetz. After a fire destroys the Traysons’ shack, Silly’s mother tells her she must fend for herself. Edna takes pity on Silly and allows her to stay on their farm, despite husband Vernon’s protests. Vernon is worried about the cost of another mouth to feed—he’s hiding their precarious financial situation from Edna. Edna secretly arranges a few dollars for Silly to pay room and board so that curmudgeon Vernon will let her stay. Despite not knowing from week to week how long Vernon will tolerate her, regular meals, learning farm chores, and receiving attention from Edna causes Silly’s confidence to blossom. But Edna’s latent illness, sporadic in the past, now escalates. Silly is trapped, with no one else in town willing to take her in. What will happen to her without Edna?
Chapter narrators alternate among Silstice, Edna, and Vernon, letting the reader inside all three main characters’ heads. Whitney is adept at this technique, which could feel “jumpy” in the hands of a less skilled author. Vernon especially surprised me as his character developed in a direction I did not expect. A subplot deals with children being trafficked for sex purposes. My lone quibble is that the villain’s character arc made an illogical twist at the end. This is a wonderful character-driven (and ultimately feel-good) novel that I had trouble putting down.
