Mosquitoland

Frustrated with everything about her new life and new family in Mississippi, Mim ditches school and buys a bus ticket for Cleveland, Ohio, where her mother is hospitalized for an unspecified illness.  A traffic accident, a quaintly cool old lady, a hunky heartthrob, and an ersatz tropical paradise on a gas station roof are only a few of the unexpected things she encounters on her travels.  Though Mim deals with some rough stuff – both from threatening strangers and from her own family’s tortured history – the overall tone is uplifting. 

 

This is a well-written piece of contemporary fiction that respects our intelligence.