Pennies from Hell

A hilarious tale of misadventure in which two single mothers and their children race to find money and, they believe, happiness.

In Williams’ debut novel, several colorful characters pursue fortune, only to discover how much of life is beyond price. Maya Marston always wakes up at 6 a.m. to check the winning lottery numbers. Sure that God himself will someday send her the right ones, she shuffles to 7-Eleven each day with her adult son, Robert, to buy new lottery tickets. Maya’s desire parallels that of her tenant, Summer Dey, a single mother who longs for a man to ease her loneliness. The two women join forces due to Summer’s daughter, Casey, a 5-year-old who loves numbers, and who comes up with a number-picking system that raises the possibility of cracking future lotteries. Gladys, Maya’s sidekick and loving friend, soon gets in on the action; the circle further widens when the building’s security guard, Brock, hears about Casey’s system and schemes to steal her number-filled notebook. Maya’s quest eventually distracts her to the point that she neglects to pay her mortgage, and she soon stands to lose her home. Robert contacts his friend JoJo, a drag queen with a pink convertible, to drive him to a faraway store to buy what he believes will be a winning lottery ticket; they soon find themselves on the run from a gunman. In zany, clear prose, Williams delivers characters who are not only enjoyable, but vividly alive. The group’s wacky adventures are consistently entertaining and, at times, surprisingly touching, particularly as the women’s friendship deepens. In the end, the group learns firsthand how the power of love, in all its forms, is what truly brings a person happiness.

A quirky, fun-filled tale about the seductive power of cold, hard cash.