September Dawson is not quite fourteen when her mother takes off, leaving her and her four-year old half-sister Scout, under the care of Jesse Ryan, her much younger husband, and September's step-father.
Shortly afterwards, September is sent to live with her maternal grandparents in Mississippi. Four years pass before she returns to Arkansas, at the request of her step-father, to take care of her younger sister for the summer. It's the summer going into her senior year, and September becomes not only a mother-figure to Scout, but a slow spark ignites between her and Jesse. September is all about fanning the flame; Jesse, however, is all about denial.
This novel is not about taboo sex; this story deals with what some may consider taboo love. September is not the 'vestal virgin' being seduced by a man nearly twelve years her senior the summer of 2010. In fact, September has a bit of a sneaky side when it comes to getting noticed, but in the process, she learns about the man she's come to admire and love, and gets some well-needed lessons about honesty, maturity and sacrifice. "Sins of September" is more than a coming-of-age story. It deals with the complications of life; the reality of abandonment, and the drama and suffering that ensues when others want what you have, and the extent they will go to in order to destroy it. Adult Content.
My mind drifts back to the day Jesse said good-bye to me.
The day he came here to pick up Scout.
Scout was tickled to death to see him after being away all summer. She had asked about Mama and Jesse shook his head and said, “No word.”
He sent her out to the car after she hugged and kissed us all good-bye. Jesse assured my grandparents they were always welcome, and that he’d bring Scout to visit when he could. Gram and Grandpa were pleased about that.
“And you,” he said, crouching down to be eye level with me, my heart was hoping that the next words out of his mouth would be, “We want you to come with us if you have a mind to.”
But those weren’t his words.
“You behave your grandparents, and keep up with your good grades. You’re a smart girl, September. I know you’ll have a bright future. Now I’ll keep in touch to make sure you’re behaving, hear?”
I nodded, hoping that I could hold back the tears that threatened to spill. Jesse acted as if he didn’t notice. “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his jeans.
He handed me a small box. Inside was a heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. The locket was the kind that can hold a tiny picture. There wasn’t a picture in this one.
“I reckon you’ll be breaking hearts soon enough. That locket is for you to put a picture of your true love inside, that way you’ll always have him close to your heart.”
He hugged me, and I thanked him feeling like I’d never see him again. I waited until he and Scout where just a spec on the horizon before I went upstairs to my room and let the flood gates open.
The day he came here to pick up Scout.
Scout was tickled to death to see him after being away all summer. She had asked about Mama and Jesse shook his head and said, “No word.”
He sent her out to the car after she hugged and kissed us all good-bye. Jesse assured my grandparents they were always welcome, and that he’d bring Scout to visit when he could. Gram and Grandpa were pleased about that.
“And you,” he said, crouching down to be eye level with me, my heart was hoping that the next words out of his mouth would be, “We want you to come with us if you have a mind to.”
But those weren’t his words.
“You behave your grandparents, and keep up with your good grades. You’re a smart girl, September. I know you’ll have a bright future. Now I’ll keep in touch to make sure you’re behaving, hear?”
I nodded, hoping that I could hold back the tears that threatened to spill. Jesse acted as if he didn’t notice. “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his jeans.
He handed me a small box. Inside was a heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. The locket was the kind that can hold a tiny picture. There wasn’t a picture in this one.
“I reckon you’ll be breaking hearts soon enough. That locket is for you to put a picture of your true love inside, that way you’ll always have him close to your heart.”
He hugged me, and I thanked him feeling like I’d never see him again. I waited until he and Scout where just a spec on the horizon before I went upstairs to my room and let the flood gates open.
Graysen Blue is a 27 year-old, stay-at-home mom who has previously self-published children's books under a different pen name. "Sins of September" is Graysen's debut novel in the New Adult fiction genre.
Born in the U.K., Graysen attended Princeton University, and holds a B.S. in Economics. She is married and makes her home with her husband, Michael, and their daughter, Scout, on the west coast.
Please visit Graysen on her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/GraysenBlueAuthor
No comments:
Post a Comment