Kara Pierce, a budding journalist with aspirations to be the next Katie Couric gets more than she bargained for when she's paired with Vince Gage for one final project before they graduate college. Vince, a documentary filmmaker and Kara a tenancious intern at the Sacramento Bee have worked together before and have hated each other ever since. But when a big story falls through at the Bee and Kara's relaxed and casual relationship suddenly ends, she surrenders to the inevitable and with a prestigious prize on the line, the duo have no choice but to figure out to work together.
After some initial disagreements, the two decide to focus their project, a documentary on Kara's grandfather who had fought in World War II. Together, they hit the road, returning to the small Iowa town where Kara had grown up- and where she had left, intending to never look back. Once back in Iowa, they find out that the story they thought they were telling was far more than they expected. Kara is forced to confront secrets from her family's past and together with Vince, she hunts down the truth that's been hidden for decades, while at the same time confronting the truth that is growing in her own heart.
The Right Kind of Wrong is a strong and promising debut from Jade Eby and you get the sensation that the author only has more stories waiting to be told and that she can only get even better from here. Eby's passion for her characters is obvious as she has created strong, believable, fully rounded characters across the board and her story is compelling enough to keep the reader eagerly turning the page throughout the book- which to me, is the mark of a great book. If you can keep the reader turning the page, you've done something remarkable! (If you can add in great characters and an exciting story on top of that- which Eby does and then some, you've got a great book on your hands!)
Personally, I approached this novel with some trepidation. This isn't a genre I usually read, so I was afraid that it 'just wouldn't be my thing.' This novel surprised me and I surprised myself because I found myself invested in these characters and the story that they find themselves caught up in. The chemistry and growing romance between Kara and Vince is handled in a deft and believable way- nothing about the relationship between the two of them feels forced or cliched. The sights and sounds they discover in the tiny town of Everson, Iowa ring true- from the tator tot casserole that Kara's grandmother makes Kara and Vince to the insular nature of small towns and the secret that can be easily hidden.
If there was one thing I wished I knew more about, it's Kara's relationship with her father.. He remains off to the side of the main narrative for much of the book before suddenly being thrust into the action towards the end. That seemed a little jarring to me at first but in the end, I think I realized that I just wanted to know more about him- and I suppose if a reader is left wanting to know more, then the author has done something very, very right.
Overall: Having had the privilege of reading some very, very early chapters of this book, it's even more of a privilege to read the finished product and see for myself the staggering amount of passion and work that the author poured into this book. What resulted was a wonderful trip into a genre that I doubt normally read with compelling characters and interesting story that kept me engaged and reading throughout. With The Right Kind Of Wrong, what one hopes will be a long career in writing is off to a flying start. **** out of ****
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