Potential spoiler alert!
This book was nothing like what I expected. I didn’t read
the blurb, I rarely do. I thought it may be some sort of love story, but it was
so much more than that.
In this tale, we are introduced to Grace who is dealing not
only with her mother’s death but also with the fact that Brian, her high school
sweetheart, no longer wants to be with her. The way this story is written,
Grace is real with all those feelings that we go through, anger, hate,
confusion, even though it had been almost a year since they split up. To
compound that more, she still lives in her childhood home and Brian still lives
three houses down, so there is a constant reminder of what could have been, of
what was. Until the postcard.
Who in the world is M? And why had she never heard of M? She
dialed the number.
Enter Aunt Millie. Enter a spontaneous trip to Florida.
Enter Aunt Millie’s story.
Aunt Millie is such a colorful character, not only in the
clothes and jewelry she wears but in personality. There came a point in her
life when she had to be who she was meant to be. This led to her removing
herself from her family for her own peace of mind.
There is a scene in this book that involves pictures that Grace
found in a box that actually showed the progression of Millie, then Milton,
slowly becoming a part of the background in the pictures until he was no longer
there. Grace also found some old letters that her mom had written, which helped
her better understand her mom and what she went through growing up.
Millie also helped Grace understand that it was okay to move
on from Brian, that it was okay to pursue her own dreams, whatever they may be.
I also appreciate the fact that Ms. Fox took the time to research what it is like to be transgender. She has written a story that is non-judgmental, a story that is full of realism, a story that is honest (even though fictional) with some humor thrown in, a story that has relatable characters, a story that is … well … full of “A Little Bit of Grace.”
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