Book Review of Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

 

1.     Bibliography

Sepetys, R. 2013. Out of the easy. Philomel Books. ISBN: 9780399256929

2.     Plot Summary

Josie is the daughter of a prostitute and tells us a story of how she dealt with hardships and the path to a better life.  When her mom brings her to New Orlands we meet Willie who is a brothel madam and gives them a place to stay and work for her mom and Josie.  Josie is now seventeen and works in a bookstore where she meets a man named Forrest Hearn who is kind, and they bond over books they like.  When Josie finds out that Hearn has died, she suspects that it is not of natural causes and later finds a gold watch that belongs to him in her mother’s room.  When Josie meets a young girl named Charlotte at the bookshop, they have an instant connection and Josie realizes that she wants to go to college with Charlotte at Smith.  While the police are connecting Mr. Hearn’s death to Josie’s mother, she is focused on getting into Smith College with the help of Charlotte’s uncle who gives her a black letterhead so she can write her own recommendation letter after she discovers him at the brothel.  Josie finds out she has been rejected to Smith but refuses to give up and endures more hardships before she is finally free to explore on her own and see where her life will take her. 

3.     Critical Analysis

In this narrative style book, we see different hardships that the main character, Josie goes through to give herself a better life.  We see murder, theft, and abuse but also out of these things we see ambition, loyalty, and a sense of belonging which shows readers that no matter your circumstances you can find good in the world.  Sepetys describes with details the setting of the story from the smoke-filled jazz clubs to the gritty back alleys, where you can really immerse yourself in the story.  Each of Josie’s adult figures in the book teaches her valuable lessons in their own way with Willie being a more mother-like figure which she learns survival skills from to her own mother who betrays and leaves Josie to fend for herself but teaches her independence.  Even though our setting is in the 1950’s I feel like today’s teens can relate to this story because a lot of the plot is like situations, they may be including poverty and being loyal to your own people.

4.     Review Excerpts

From The Boston Globe:
"Full of transporting writing, drawing you into a past that is fully reconstructed by her superb imagination."
From Toronto Star:"An engrossing, substantial novel with a rich, multi-layered plot and deeply realized characters. Unforgettable."

5.     Connections

*Students could write a book comparison of other books written during the 1950’s era like:

- Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

- Strings Attached by Judy Blundell