Review of Deceptive Calm

[Mollie Johnson 3]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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It’s 1968 in South Carolina and racism is rampant. A beautiful light-skinned girl named Vanessa has grown up in an orphanage for black children. She was raised by a nun named Sister Rosalie who had given up her dreams to raise Vanessa and the other children that are in her care. In an environment where money and nice possessions were not common, there was always love. Sister Rosalie raised her and loved her like she was her own. Vanessa adored Sister Rosalie and her big personality. She was the only parent figure Vanessa ever had and she taught her a lot about the history of the South.
As she finds herself finishing high school, she believes that her true identity will prevent her from having a fair chance at life. After a series of unfortunate events, she decides to take things into her own hands and makes some harrowing decisions to change the path of her life. These choices work out for her in the beginning but then her life as she knows it is turned upside down when the truth is revealed.
The author’s writing style is something I enjoyed a great deal. It has a lot of history in it and I appreciated that. I’m a fan of this book and found it to be quite compelling and suspenseful. The characters were engaging and I found myself emotionally invested throughout the story. I gave this book a 4 out of 5. I feel like the ending was rushed a bit. All the loose ends came together too quickly in my opinion. It didn’t get the ending it deserved. That’s the only complaint I had. However, it was still a page-turner and I enjoyed it very much. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a thriller mixed with some historical fiction.

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Deceptive Calm
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