Abandoned first by her father and then her mother, Tessa grows up with her abusive stepfather and stepbrother. She survives by finding reserves of strength in herself, and by the surprising, transformative love of another teenage girl, Mel, who sees through Tessa's tough exterior to the vulnerable woman inside.
Years on, 27-year-old Tessa, pregnant with her third child and living in a trailer on her mother-in-law's property, re-encounters the woman she used to love-leading her to question the very foundations of the life she's built.
Filled with violence, tragedy, tenderness, longing and the unvarnished courage of women living in a mostly unseen America, Perris, California is the unforgettable story of Tessa's journey from trauma to healing, and it introduces us to one of the most indelible female characters since Bone Boatwright in Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina or Ruth Langmore in Ozark.
'You and me, we didn't have it so easy, did we, Mama?' Tessa blinked,
and tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped at them with her sleeve
and nodded some. 'Now that I've come to understand how complicated and painful life can be, I don't hold nothing against you. Not even your leaving. I don't blame you one bit, because now I believe in my heart
you must have been trying your best in your own way. I think mamas
are mostly always trying their best. It just looks different depending
on the cards they are dealt and the hurt they are holding.'
Genre: Literary Fiction
Years on, 27-year-old Tessa, pregnant with her third child and living in a trailer on her mother-in-law's property, re-encounters the woman she used to love-leading her to question the very foundations of the life she's built.
Filled with violence, tragedy, tenderness, longing and the unvarnished courage of women living in a mostly unseen America, Perris, California is the unforgettable story of Tessa's journey from trauma to healing, and it introduces us to one of the most indelible female characters since Bone Boatwright in Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina or Ruth Langmore in Ozark.
'You and me, we didn't have it so easy, did we, Mama?' Tessa blinked,
and tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped at them with her sleeve
and nodded some. 'Now that I've come to understand how complicated and painful life can be, I don't hold nothing against you. Not even your leaving. I don't blame you one bit, because now I believe in my heart
you must have been trying your best in your own way. I think mamas
are mostly always trying their best. It just looks different depending
on the cards they are dealt and the hurt they are holding.'
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Some stories grab you, shake you to the core, and never let you go, demanding you to stare into the heart of human depravity and resilience. Other stories capture you by stealth, quiet beauty unfolding in ordinary moments: a conversation 'round a table, the unexpected smile of a neighbor, the wind on your face as you run. Harrowing, evocative, and deeply moving, Perris, California does both. Rachel Stark reminds us that in the smallest acts of kindness center the most enormous acts of love. This is a remarkable novel of human beings fully being - where what we do to each other sits side by side with what we do for each other." - Sarah Blake
"Rachel Stark's beautiful debut novel is a gripping portrayal of generational trauma suffered by women living in rural poverty. But this heartbreaking story is ultimately one of healing and hope as she reminds us of our capacity for forgiveness and understanding." - Tracey Lange
"Perris, California is a remarkable, audacious, and truly original debut. Stark's characters are incandescent in their fierce desire not just for survival but for love and redemption. This novel will live alongside classics of young womanhood by Kaye Gibbons, Helena Maria Viramontes, Maya Angelou, and yes, Dorothy Allison." - Susan Straight
"Perris, California is a glorious debut from the magnificent Rachel Stark who writes from the soul when she is not writing from the heart. This is a novel set in the invisible America, the land of hopes and dreams if one happens to be lucky. Tessa has bouts of luck and longing, amidst circumstances out of her control. This is not only a story of trauma and survival, it will rouse your deepest well of empathy and have you rooting for a woman you may have never met. You will know her now, in this dazzling debut." - Adriana Trigiani
"Rachel Stark's beautiful debut novel is a gripping portrayal of generational trauma suffered by women living in rural poverty. But this heartbreaking story is ultimately one of healing and hope as she reminds us of our capacity for forgiveness and understanding." - Tracey Lange
"Perris, California is a remarkable, audacious, and truly original debut. Stark's characters are incandescent in their fierce desire not just for survival but for love and redemption. This novel will live alongside classics of young womanhood by Kaye Gibbons, Helena Maria Viramontes, Maya Angelou, and yes, Dorothy Allison." - Susan Straight
"Perris, California is a glorious debut from the magnificent Rachel Stark who writes from the soul when she is not writing from the heart. This is a novel set in the invisible America, the land of hopes and dreams if one happens to be lucky. Tessa has bouts of luck and longing, amidst circumstances out of her control. This is not only a story of trauma and survival, it will rouse your deepest well of empathy and have you rooting for a woman you may have never met. You will know her now, in this dazzling debut." - Adriana Trigiani
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