Both daughters are more interested in their own lives-that is, until Peggy starts noticing bruises Allison can’t explain.

is innocent and has been framed by the LAPD.

Brenda, increasingly obsessed with the case, is convinced O. Simpson murder investigations is always on in the background, a media frenzy that underscores domestic violence against women and race and class divisions in Southern California. Younger daughter Allison, a high school senior, can’t believe her luck that California golden boy Kevin has fallen in love with her. Oldest daughter Peggy is certain she’s heading off to a university, until her father offers her a job sorting mail while she attends community college instead. Brenda’s never worked outside the home, and the family’s economic situation quickly declines. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Brenda Lockhart’s family has been living well beyond their means for too long when Brenda’s husband leaves them-for an older and less attractive woman than Brenda, no less. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. The Lockhart Women (She Writes Press, June 1, 2021) is available through: The ending is satisfyingly rich as these women overcome their emotional issues and become their best selves, strong and emotionally independent. The men here, with one exception, are egocentric, poor providers, physically and/or mentally abusive, and heavily into alcohol or drugs. Told in alternating points of view, the novel shows the inner workings of the three women, their motivations, their consistently poor judgment (even Peggy’s part) and misplaced loyalties to men who aren’t worthy. Though they never seem particularly close-knit as a family, the sudden change in their lifestyle causes an increasing distance between them. The main characters are the mother (Brenda), the older, more serious daughter (Peggy), and the younger, more flighty daughter (Allison). His loss is more than an emotional deprivation as it increases their emotional stressors as it cuts their income and forces them to move to a less desirable neighborhood. The character development is excellent, showing how a wife and two daughters handle the father moving out to live with a new love. The reader can see the parallels between the life of the high-and-mighty Simpson and that of this commonplace family and realize that domestic abuse crosses all classes. Simpson murder and later his robbery trials, and each woman becomes obsessed in her own way with the televised legal morass. Stranded through the novel is the television coverage of the 1994-1995 O.J.

She captures the epitome of a modern dysfunctional family. The Lockhart Women by Mary Camarillo doesn’t read as a debut novel.