Valentine, by Elizabeth Wetmore

Valentine is an astonishing novel — even more so given that it is a debut.  Set in 1976 Odessa, Texas, the novel depicts the aftermath of the rape and beating of a young Mexican girl.  The story is told from the perspective of several different female characters, providing five distinct female voices.

I found the writing vivid and emotional, and I was drawn into the story immediately.   Wetmore grew up in West Texas and it shows — the setting was as spot-on as any I’ve ever read about that region. Just like the setting, the stories told in the novel are harsh and unrelenting.

The voices of the different female characters were diverse and interesting, with each being individual and valuable in its own way.  At first, I found the jumping around to different characters to be a bit distracting, but by the end it didn’t bother me anymore. I was completely captivated by each of the women in this story and anxious to see how their stories would end.

Something small that did bother me throughout the novel — no quotation marks.  What gives, people? Quotation marks serve a useful, important purpose.  When you fail to use them, you force the reader to slow down in order to figure out who the heck is speaking (or, if they are actually even speaking out loud at all). If this is a trend, I don’t like it.  It’s not cute or inventive.  It’s just annoying.

Valentine is an amazing debut novel — emotionally resonant and deeply satisfying.  Highly recommend.