Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris captured my attention both due to its title and its beautiful cover. The story takes place in 1931 during the Great Depression and was inspired by a real-life photograph in the news at the time. It follows aspiring reporter Ellis Reed as he snaps with his camera a photo of two children holding a sign that states they are for sale. The photograph ushers him into a successful career, while the children fall into tragedy.
Haunted by the children in the photo and his own guilt for exploiting them, Ellis seeks to right things and discovers that the consequences are beyond what he imagined. Helping Ellis in his aim is his former coworker, an ambitious young woman named Lily Palmer. Lily has her own bundle of secrets which motivate her and link her both to Ellis and to the children in the photograph. It’s a thoughtful story with tasteful dialogue, pretty descriptions, and an interesting storyline.
However, I did find the main cast of characters to be somewhat predictable. There are several cliches – in the characters and in their relationships – throughout the book, and that somewhat detached me from the story. The book has a heavy, sensitive premise – people in such utter desperation as to result in selling their children – but I didn’t feel very emotionally connected.
Additionally, the novel moved slowly. I wasn’t 100% sure as to the direction of the book until I was about halfway through. McMorris spent a good deal of time establishing characters and backstories – which I appreciate – but, in my opinion, it took away from directing the plotline. The book had less of a historical focus and a greater emphasis on the mystery of what happened to the two children. I enjoyed the book but found it slow-going with a little too much emphasis on set-up.
As mentioned though, it was a story that surprised me. McMorris writes beautifully, and I could picture everything that was occurring so clearly. I have seen many 4 and 5 star reviews on this novel. People find it inspiring, haunting, captivating, and insightful. While I don’t disagree with that viewpoint, I will say the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations based on the cover and synopsis.
I would love to see what some of our readers think! Check it out at your local library, and let me know if you felt inspired, disconnected, or somewhere in between.
Side note: Sold On a Monday reminded me a lot of Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours, which was another interesting book I read several years ago. If you like either of these books, I’d recommend checking out the other!
Jessica
Copyright Kristina McMorris and Sourcebooks, Inc. Image from Amazon.com.
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