A review of Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa. A copy was sent to your Fresno Books Examiner for review by Chris Tusa! A first glance of the cover, in both picture and title, grabs the readers attention before page one. One realizes this is not a simple story about angels and wants to know more.
The story is narrated by 16-year old Hailey, who has grown up in the New Orleans. Her family faced an inordinate amount of struggles that consumed her parents' time and attention. Meanwhile Hailey, a full fledged teen, has to figure out the world on her own. While her older brother, Cyrus, cares for her, he too has been a victim of neglect and circumstance.
Hailey's story is one of trial and error and the lessons she learns along the way. Her strength is that she does learn from mistakes and experiences. No matter how horrific, she continues to ask "why", "how" and "what" to do next even though some of her decisions are heart breaking and life threatening. Her journey takes her, and the reader, places most will never experience.
Chris Tusa's novel is one of fiction, however some teenagers do go through similar experiences, especially when parents are absent or not involved. Chris Tusa has written a compelling story of human struggles and the power to overcome even in the worst of circumstances. His bold writing, in description and storyline, has created a realistic feel and put the reader right into the story as if they were there watching it unfold.
The shocking and unexpected conclusion is a culmination of her story and the revelation that she has about life and how to move forward in the future. Dirty Little Angels leaves the reader contemplating how they would have responded in Hailey's place. Would they also question faith as Hailey did and what conclusion would they have come to?
Chris's novel is original, compelling and is as realistic as fiction can be. Dirty Little Angels is unforgettable, leaving the reader wanting more about Hailey's future and her continued growth or deterioration of faith.
A more detailed description from the Publisher and Chris Tusa's website:
Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses's lopsided view of religion, Hailey, and her brother Cyrus, begin spending time down at an abandoned bank that Moses plans to convert into a drive-through church. Gradually, though, Moses's twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey and Cyrus soon find themselves trapped in a world of danger and fear from which there may be no escape.
"Dirty Little Angels is the To Kill a Mockingbird of 2009. Chris Tusa’s novel marks the debut of a brave new voice in contemporary American literature."
--Burl Barer, Edgar Award winning author of The Saint, Mom Said Kill, Body Count, Murder in the Family
Chris Tusa is a Louisiana writer, born and raised in New Orleans. Chris Tulsa's bio accurately explains his overall writing style, a portion of which is shown below, and sheds more light on his debut novel, Dirty Little Angels.
Tusa’s stories are, in effect, Southern-fried Greek tragedies. In his work, the backwoods Southern Gothicism of Faulkner and O’Connor intersects with a more contemporary, more urban depiction of the South. Typical themes include mental illness as well as the ways in which the contemporary, celebrity-driven American culture has managed to alter the landscape of the traditional Christ-haunted South.
More about Dirty Little Angels: Barnes and Noble * Chris Tusa's Bio * Chris Tusa
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