THE WRECKAGE OF US

Opposites attract in this angst-y contemporary romance in which lasting traumas provide the greatest obstacles.

Hazel Stone is a young woman of modest means, though her experiences could fill several lifetimes. At 18, she’s helping her pregnant mother make ends meet in Eres, Nebraska, a poor town ravaged by her stepfather’s drug-dealing business. It’s the need for extra income that brings her to Big Paw, the town's pseudo-godfather. He’s in need of a ranch hand, and she's determined to get the job. Sadly, the person in charge of training her is Ian Parker, Big Paw’s grandson, a known playboy and former high school heartthrob. Hazel’s situation becomes more dire once her stepfather’s drug operation gets shut down and both he and Hazel’s mother are arrested. It was Hazel who called the cops, and now she’s the one left dealing with the consequences: Nowhere to stay and an infant sibling to support once it’s born. Her temporary solution is to squat at the ranch where she works until Ian discovers her secret and lets her stay with him. Depressing doesn’t begin to describe all the ways Hazel is let down by the people around her. This isn’t a fluffy romance, and it sometimes seems like a positive outcome will be impossible given all the problems that arise. While there are elements of soapy melodramatics here, the pleasure of reading about them quickly disappears with a slut-shaming comment here or misogynist thought there. The book is so steeped in hatred for women other than Hazel, even those Ian fooled around with years ago in high school, that it's hard to feel good about it. It also lacks nuance in examining poverty and substance abuse in rural communities. Sure, there's a happy ending, but it barely makes a dent in the litany of Hazel’s personal tragedies.

Don’t expect to feel good after the emotional whiplash.