BJ’s Standout Reads October 2021

BJ Knapp author of Beside the Music enjoyed The Good Sister by Gillian McAllisterThe Good Sister by Gillian McAllister   Martha and Becky are sisters.  Becky is the screw up and Martha is the together one.  With Martha so focused on building her aid organization to help Syrian refugees in Greece she hires Becky to be a nanny to her infant daughter.  The story is told by numerous witnesses who testify in the murder trial of Layla, Martha’s baby, who died while in Becky’s care.  Of course the fact that the baby died while the sister was caring for her has completely torn the sisters apart.  With all the testimony you are convinced that Becky just lost her shit because the baby was suffering from acid reflux and would not stop crying for hours on end.  The testimony against her is pretty damming, and Martha doesn’t know who to believe—the line of witnesses or her sister who says she didn’t smother the baby.

 

BJ Knapp author of Beside the Music enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere by Celest NgLittle Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng   I watched the Hulu show of this at the same time I listened to the audiobook and I loved it.  It’s the story of a family I the late 90s in the perfect town of Shaker Heights and the family is supposed to be perfect.  Only it’s not.  And when Mia and Pearl Warren, a black single mother and her daughter, move into town only then does the raw imperfection of this family come out.  Yes, Mia has some skeletons in her closet, and Elena—the perfect mom—becomes obsessed with exposing who Mia really is.  Problem is at the same time her perfect façade is completely blowing up.  It brings up issues of race and mom judgement in an amazing way.

BJ Knapp is the author of Beside the Music, available for purchase here. Please sign up for the Backstage with BJ Knapp mailing list to get updates on events, signings, dog pictures and so much more.

added on 11.03.21

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