32969331“Growing up in a lush valley in the Andes mountains, sixteen-year-old Josie Wales is mostly isolated from the turbulence brewing in 1976 Colombia. As the daughter of missionaries, Josie feels torn between their beliefs and the need to choose for herself. She soon begins to hide things from her parents, like her new boyfriend and her explorations into different religions.

Josie eventually discovers her parents’ secrets are far more insidious. When she attempts to unravel the web of lies surrounding her family, each thread stretches to its breaking point. Josie tries to save her family, but what happens if they don’t want to be saved?

The Existence of Pity is a story of flawed characters told with heart and depth against the beautiful backdrop of Colombia.”

 

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What a delightful read this was I’m so grateful that the author reached out to me to read and review it, as it was such fun. I really feel like I’ve been part of Josie Wales life this last weekend, hanging out with her, her family and friends in Colombia. I felt so many emotions reading this story as I laughed, tutted, gasped and almost shed a tear at the different situations Josie came up against.  I’d love to know if there is a another part to Josie’s story as the end of the book left me wanting to know how everything turned out.

I definitely recommend this if you enjoy YA or coming of age stories.

 

More about the author:

Jeannie Zokan

Jeannie Zokan grew up in Colombia, South America, where she read almost every book in the American school she attended. Her love of books led her to study Library Science at Baylor University then to attend The George Washington University in DC. When the chance came to head south, she took her motorcycle to Florida’s Gulf Coast to write stories for the local newspaper.


She now lives ten minutes from the beach with her husband, two teenage daughters, and three pets, all of whom keep her inspired and just a little frantic. She enjoys aerial yoga, tennis, and holding NICU babies as a volunteer. But there’s always writing. Writing to relive, writing to understand, writing to remember, writing to renew.