Thoughts 
by Tess Gunty, Alfred A Knopf 2022, 338 pages, National Book Award 2022
Challenge: for March 2023 Tournament of Books
Genre/Theme: Adult Fiction; decaying town
Type/Source: Hardcover, library
What It’s About: A decaying town, lack of industry, climate change effects such as flooding, lost people trying to survive, kids in the system, contrasts between poverty and privilege, mystics, and weird pie.
Thoughts: I didn’t really enjoy reading it and I was luckily enough to have time to make myself sit with the book and READ. “Just keep reading.” I was both repelled by the behaviors and attracted to any scraps of redemption. Some really great passages, and terrific turns of phrase.
And, OH. The last line. Good, really good.
Rating: Four slices of pie. A pie shop, sour cream pie with black licorice, butterscotch cream pie. Possibly a contender for Care’s 2022 Pie in Literature Award!
“Home is a pie in the oven, live saxophone downtown, and a backyard of fireflies.”
65%
Care's Books and Pie 
I love it–home is a pie in the oven and a backyard full of fireflies…and it’s fun to imagine your own third thing to replace the sax downtown.
Exactly!
A sour cream pie with black licorice? That sounds like it could be either horrible or amazing. Are you going to make one and find out? Glad the book ended up being good!
I think the black licorice is supposedly a black powder on top. But maybe, really soft black licorice chunks instead of raisins in the sour cream part? Maybe. I won’t be making it anytime soon.
I was surprised when it won the National Book Award and still not sure it’s a book for me. Several other 2022 releases still on my list… but I’ll take the butterscotch cream pie!!
Yes! I love me a good Butterscotch Pie.
When it’s TOB time I always think of you! I don’t think I’ll be reading this but good for you for tackling it.