Buck's Pantry
Book Feature - Buck's Pantry by Khristin Wierman
HBL Note: I get dozens of book pitches from authors and publicists every day. Sometimes, there is a single line in one of these pitches that stops me in my tracks and makes me want to give a book a closer look. For BUCK’S PANTRY by Khristin Wierman, it was this line: A New York banker and a Texas Republican walk into a rural convenience store…and are held hostage in the bathroom. Will they escape or kill each other first? An audible chuckle escaped my lips when I read the line and I immediately replied that I needed to feature this book.
Although there are clearly themes of political ideologies clashing, BUCK’S PANTRY also explores themes mental illness and recovering from trauma. It is also about overcoming those differences in cultures and beliefs to find humanity and perhaps even friendship in “others.” This novel is being compared to the likes of Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty with its pacing and building and to the humor of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman: two books I absolutely adored.
Also, can we take a moment to appreciate that truly unique and eye-catching book cover? I’m into it!
From the publisher:
In a small Texas town, three women—Gillian, a former prom queen and furious juggler of her three children’s manic schedules; Lianna, a foul-mouthed East Coast banking super star; and Aimee, a woman capable of far more than her current life will allow—find their lives converging.
Gillian, reeling from the revelations her husband shared at a fundraiser she hosted just days ago, is suddenly grappling with what she has always believed about politics, family, and her own comfortable life—and aghast at some of the choices she’s made. Lianna is en route to close a deal and languishing in the August heat. Desperate to return to her beloved New York and a first-time visitor to rural Texas, she’s certain she has landed in one of the outer rings of hell. Aimee, though withering under the covert dysfunction and mental illness lurking in her family, still manages to shine in her low-level job and allows herself to dream of a life far away. When Gillian and Lianna stop at the same convenience store, they find themselves in an unthinkable situation. Aimee may be their only hope—if she can put the pieces together.