Although at times the beginning of this novel seemed slow, it morphed into a real favorite for me! Joy Moody, former social worker and divorcee, raised twin girls who are about to turn 21. Cassie and Andie have always known that Joy is not their biological mother. But the origin story she tells them is a stretch. She told them they were born in 2050. On their 21st birthday, the twins will time travel to their birth year to take their rightful place in the fight against a dictatorial and corrupt government.
Joy inherited her property from her father, one of a cluster of narrow townhouses in a beach town. Each has a business the first floor. Joy’s business is a laundromat. their little community includes Monty the locksmith; Lynne the tattoo artist and Ellen the retired lawyer. Joy is a real control freak when it comes to her daughters. Since their birth was off the record, she home schooled them. But she also made sure they had no television, no computers and no real access to the modern world except to the extent they served laundromat customers. As the big day approaches, Andie is suspicious Joy has been lying to them. Cassie is loyal to Joy and believes they will soon disappear. Despite Joy’s curmudgeonly personality and tight leash on her girls, she does permit their friendships with the neighbors. What will they think when the family just… disappears?
The story unfolds in a way that is totally absorbing and mostly upbeat in spite of some deaths. The twins total lack of sophistication in the face of an unexpected situation brings them to the attention of many, but their natural smarts help them weave through an entertaining plot line that picks up big time from about 1/4 of the way into the novel to the very satisfying resolution. Annie Maynard’s narration was great.
They Called me Bookworm 