ANGELS IN THE RYE

A rape survivor makes peace with her past and finds happiness with her family’s support.

Martin-Yates (Life Is but a Four-Leaf Clover, 2016) opens her latest novel in November 1974, as 15-year-old Karen Bowen sneaks away from Thanksgiving with her family, which the narrator calls “much like the average black family that originates from Memphis, Tennessee.” On the way to her friend Gloria’s house, Karen is dragged into an abandoned building by Paul White, the older boy she has a crush on, and raped. She tells no one about the rape until she is seven months pregnant but eventually finds support from her mother, Brenda, and her grandmother Pearl. Karen gives birth to a daughter she names Angel, but for many years her anger over the rape keeps her from being a loving mother. Several years later, Karen interrupts the rape of Barbara Jones and accidentally kills the attacker. She is able to keep her role in the death a secret, and the emotional fallout from the event allows her to finally bond with Angel. Karen and Barbara later become friends. Soon Karen falls in love with Tate, the detective investigating Barbara’s case. Meanwhile, the adolescent Angel begins to search for her father and meets Paul, now a deacon at a nearby church. Martin-Yates does an excellent job of presenting Karen’s emotional transformation, from the teenage years defined by the rape through adulthood, when she gradually gains maturity, independence, and comfort. Paul, “a good man who had made a horrible mistake,” also experiences growth, but in this tale about forgiveness, readers will not see him face major consequences. The writing is uneven, with awkward phrasing (“She fell on her couch, mimicking a schoolgirl having her first crush”) and overused words (Several sentences begin with “Instantly”). Yet on the whole, the author delivers a satisfying story of redemption.

A heartfelt tale of embracing life after a devastating rape.