Book Review: Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner

A comedy-drama, “Waking Up Joy” grabs your attention from page one with the main character Joy Talley being rushed to the hospital due to an apparent suicide which readers figure out in the first few pages was actually an accident.

The whole story is anchored by that peculiar accident with Joy going into coma and then waking up. Told in a first person account, we learn about the Joy’s family, friends and the residents of the small town in Oklahoma where they live.

Through Joy, we will learn about the lives of the residents of Saginaw Junction as she also tells her own story. Beautifully written in lyrical prose, author Tina Ann Forkner portrayed our heroine as an adorable and eccentric spinster who is a little crazy even foolish at times.

With its eccentric characters, “Waking Up Joy” would have been a total joy to read (no pun intended). The story development is slow, as if the book was written for another era, as in the 1980s. The first page says that the story happened in 1982, which I thought was a prologue until I realized that it was the time frame of the whole book.

After I figured that out, the reason for the slow pacing of the book became apparent. But understanding did not translate into patience on my part. I found myself speed reading just to know what happened next.

Perhaps, it is my loss because once I was done and knew what happened; I re-read the areas I skimmed through so that I can enjoy the prose. The book was written beautifully after all.

An intriguing read that will whet your curiosity just don’t expect internet speed. The surprise ending is worth the wait!

The book is Rated M for Mature due to adult situations. There are no sex scenes in this book.