A Cup of Dust: a Novel of the Dust Bowl by Susie Finkbeiner

A Cup of Dust: a Novel of the Dust Bowl

by Susie Finkbeiner

   A gripping story; believable and heart-wrending, A Cup of Dust is set in Oklahoma, 1935. The authro, Susie Finkbeiner does an extraordinary job of melding fiction with history- the result, a realistic account of a young girl growing up in the difficult time of the dust bowl.  This is such an interesting book for those -like me-who have never studied this difficult time period of the American west. The author brings it vividly to life; as I read this book I felt the pain and burden of the living in such a dying region. Simultaneously, as if that era wasn't hard enough, the author weaves a different tale concerning the young girl Pearl. Your interest will be captured early on in the book as confusing and mysterious characters start coming on the scene and disrupting Pearl Spence's relatively happy life with her loving family. Only reading this book will reveal the truth behind this sweet young girl's existence....From start to finish, author Susie Finkbeiner presents a work which will touch your heart. I especially admire how the themes of love and loyalty were played out- excellent job!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion- thank you!

Where you come from isn’t who you are
Ten-year-old Pearl Spence is a daydreamer, playing make-believe to escape life in Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl in 1935. The Spences have their share of misfortune, but as the sheriff’s family, they’ve got more than most in this dry, desolate place. They’re who the town turns to when there’s a crisis or a need—and during these desperate times, there are plenty of both, even if half the town stands empty as people have packed up and moved on.
Pearl is proud of her loving, strong family, though she often wearies of tracking down her mentally impaired older sister or wrestling with her grandmother’s unshakable belief in a God who Pearl just isn’t sure she likes.
Then a mysterious man bent on revenge tramps into her town of Red River. Eddie is dangerous and he seems fixated on Pearl. When he reveals why he’s really there and shares a shocking secret involving the whole town, dust won’t be the only thing darkening Pearl’s world.
While the tone is suspenseful and often poignant, the subtle humor of Pearl’s voice keeps A Cup of Dust from becoming heavyhanded. Finkbeiner deftly paints a story of a family unit coming together despite fractures of distress threatening to pull them apart