Mowed

by Grace Risata

Larger than life character Pepper, was the ray of sunshine I needed on a dreary, damp winters evening.

She was so smart and funny that I found her totally endearing but as I read her story I think I could empathise with the way she had and in some respects continued to react to the vitriol and bias of people who should have known better but who continued to berate her for nothing other than her size…just because they could.

While this is fiction I thought the author was able to truly reflect the often cruel reality faced by larger people in today’s society. The pain that Pepper felt at the hand of off the cuff throwaway comments that those wielding them probably never even considered as being of any consequence was tangible, it has destroyed her self-confidence but her spirit remained and that was nice to see.

The demise of her only proper relationship made a bad situation all the more unbearable, so when she is face to face with someone who she has secretly harboured a fondness for, for far too long and they are suggesting a no strings physical relationship…was she going to turn it down…not a chance!

Now, I’m not saying that I was much of a fan of Jason initially, he just gave off a vibe that I didn’t care for, I got that he was resentful of the fact that his wife cheated on him and he was back living with his folks but over time he brought out a side to Pepper that I liked, he gave her a chance to flex her own will rather than bend to that of others and for that I could forgive him some of his other foibles.

I thought the author did a great job with not only Peppers own story but that of her and Jason– they grew into storyline that brought more than a few tears to my face. I liked the fact that the story was honest, it stayed absolutely grounded in the depth of the characters. Yes, Jason was a pain in the a$$ at times and a little domineering but he had a good heart and that was the glimmer I needed in order to be able to accept him as being ok for Pepper.

On the whole this is a book that I would certainly have no issue recommending. This should be on your TBR list as soon as possible.