Juniper Kowalski recently graduated from the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago, but things aren’t going exactly the way she imagined. Instead of pursuing graduate school or launching her art career, she is back in her hometown of Gobles, Michigan. Living in the trailer she inherited from her Grandma. Working as a maid at the nearby Vacation Express. And pregnant … by a married man.
Angry and frustrated to be continuing a family pattern of absent, good-for-nothing fathers, Juniper channels her emotions into her artwork. Little by little, driven by both her art and the birth of her daughter Clover, Juniper builds a life she never could have imagined in a town she never would have chosen. An imperfect, but full, life that may even hold the promise of true love.
Twine tackles many complex life issues, yet there is a lightness, a sense of hope about the book. With relatively short chapters, the pace is just right and it is an easy read to move through. Duncan’s writing style creates a pleasant, comfortable mood to draw the reader in and the female characters are quite endearing. Juniper is a resilient young woman who tends to take the cards she is dealt and keep moving forward. Her mother, Cora, is a strong support and homebase for Juniper one day, while requiring assistance herself to make it through the next.
The novel covers a broad range of universal themes, despite the unique rural setting. Poor relationships with men are lamented and women are bolstered by the power of their female friendships. The strength of familial bonds is juxtaposed with generational trauma, patterns passed down from one woman to the next. The joyous yet overwhelming experience of bringing a child into this world is shared with great heart. And at the core is the story of a young woman who is determined not to lose herself. Who fights to define what she wants in her life, what brings her joy, which becomes a cathartic endeavor.
At first glance, the book title Twine may seem to be a peculiar choice for such a story. But let’s see what Merriam-Webster has to say. As a noun, twine means “a strong string of two or more strands twisted together.” As a verb, “to twist together” or “interlace.” This helps bring the title into focus. The fundamental relationship that Duncan examines over and over in this novel is that of mother and daughter, a bond which is interlaced throughout the story and replicated through the generations of Juniper’s family. Duncan also considers the complexity of humans as individuals who are always more than what they seem at the surface. Multiple strands wound together, if you will. And along these lines, she fights against the surface-level stereotypes so common of those in poorer rural communities across the United States.
There is much more that could be deconstructed with this novel, but I’ll stop here because I want you all to read it for yourselves!
Monica Duncan hails from Michigan, the state where her debut novel Twine is set. She is a writer, musician, wife, and mother with music degrees from both Michigan State and Indiana University. She currently lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts and works as a freelance musician and teacher in and around Boston.
Twine is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of September 14th 2019. Thanks to Crowsnest Books and BookSparks for providing a copy of this book to review for The Nerd Daily.
Will you be picking up Twine? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
When Juniper Kowalski, a mediocre artist and graduate of one of the best art schools in the country, gets pregnant by her married lover, she ends up back in Gobles, Michigan, living in her dead grandma’s trailer. She fears that her new life as a hotel maid, and as the best friend of a subrural call girl, has fulfilled some bleak fate. But Juniper’s pregnancy also ignites a will to create. Every hurt that she’s ever suffered begins to emerge as confrontational, public art.
Family lore has taught Juniper disdain for men. But it’s not hatred for her absent father, abusive grandpa, or even her baby daddy, causing her issues. It’s facing actual love from a big, flawed, breathtaking man. “Twine” celebrates a quietly radical view of small-town life, ambition, and motherhood. It is the story of a young woman who needs no hero, and what she does when he shows up anyway.
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