Review of ‘Undertow’ by Jazzy Mitchell

At the height of the US electoral process, this might be the best time for this lesbian book to be published, although it’s sad that again that no woman will become president. But someday it will be the case, I’m sure. Anyway, I liked the story, even if it’s not exactly the book I expected. I thought it would be more about politics.

‘Undertow’ is about the sometimes difficult journey of the candidate Maggie Ambrose to become the politician and woman she is today. Although it all takes place in the midst of politics, it is not about the daily business of politicians.

The story is told from the point of view of Maggie and has two narrative strands. I like this style to tell a story from two different sides or different timeframes like in this case. One part is set in the present just before Maggie announces her presidential candidacy for the Democrats and before her memoirs are published. This book forces her to deal with her past, which isn’t an easy task.

The second strand looks back on her sometimes very rough youth and her journey to her present self. It shows what she had to endure, the mistakes she had made, people who crossed her path, and people who accompanied her over long distances and helped her find her way. It is interesting and exciting to see what goes on in the background of a candidacy, how big and important the team of each candidate is, how the political process works.

‘Undertow’ is not a classic romance where the protagonists meet and fall in love, Maggie has been together with her wife Helen for many years. But in the flashbacks, we learn about their love story.

I liked both main characters, I would vote for Maggie anytime, I stand for the same values as she does. And Helen is simply the wonderful and supportive partner that everyone wants at their side. And I very much liked the passion they still feel for each other.

However, what I didn’t like that much is that a big part of the story is just narrative and there are not so many direct dialogues. I am a big fan of the spoken word in novels.

My rating 4 stars.

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

A good time for this lesbian book to be published

At the height of the US electoral process, this might be the best time for this lesbian book to be published, although it's sad that again that no woman will become president. But someday it will be the case, I'm sure. Anyway, I liked the story, even if it's not exactly the book I expected. I thought it would be more about politics.

Author: 4 stars, Mature characters, Politics

Name: Undertow

Author: Jazzy Mitchell

Date Published: 2020-09-14

Format: https://schema.org/EBook

Editor's Rating:
4