A Moving Story

The last couple of days I've been reading—actually, re-reading—a pretty intense story by an author called Siera Maley.  I'm inclined to think that it's at least distantly autobiographical; like something that happened to her (I think she might be non-binary; I'll clear that up after I go back and read her bio she's definitely female), or someone she knows well.

Among other things, the story is concerned with how Southern (Georgia) Christians deal with the far more liberal attitudes and lifestyle of Los Angeles: non-christians, alternate lifestyles, rebellion against authority, and so on.  The main character is kind of a poster girl for all of those!  The author—Siera—was brought up in the southern Bible belt, she says, so the whole issue of how to be an alternate chick in that environment is kind of a central theme in at least this book.  (In her other books, too, coming out as queer isn't routine; it is a battle in each story.)

You don't have to guess the title; it's a pretty pathetic title, probably enforced by an agent or editor who should go back to publishing school.  Siera Maley: Taking Flight.

The child of a celebrity mother and alcoholic father is completely knocked off her balance, and stays in bed, in LA, for several months, when her mother dies in an auto accident.  She's taken before a judge, who instructs that she must spend several months in rural Georgia, under close supervision, living with a farming family.  She must share a room with their daughter.  What they don't know is that the girl is a lesbian. 

The farmer's daughter is, in some ways, trusting and innocent, but wise in other ways.  The LA girl is cynical and suspicious, but upright.  Inevitably, they are attracted, despite the complex arrangements for the rehabilitation of the 'problem teenager,' Lauren.  I love the relationship that came about between the girls; so much so that I want to write a story about teenagers (so far I've only—or mostly—written about adults), though I could never do it as well as Siera M does it. 

There are a dozen wonderful characters, who give the story a lot of texture; it's a lot more than high school drama.  I'm still just a little more than halfway through (though I've read it before, I can't remember how it goes from here).

One thumb, and one middle-finger up.  No, make that a pointy finger. 

Kay