Book Review: Rush

Rush by Lisa Patton

If you were a member of a Southern sorority (or wanted to be) and/or you loved the book/film The Help, then this is the book for you.

Rush, by Lisa Patton, is true-blue Southern fiction. As someone who was fully entrenched in my sorority during my school years at Georgia State University, reading this book was like going to a college reunion.

When Patton began describing the rush ("recruitment") events, it was like I went back in time. Things I thought I had forgotten came rushing back. I loved feeling sentimental about things like rush parties, bids, and the entire process.

But, what this book more enjoyable is that while it focuses on sorority life from the lens of a mother/alum acting as an advisor the year her daughter (and legacy) goes through recruitment, there is more to the story.

This not simply a novel about mother/legacy rush bonding. It is a novel that also brings the people who work hard behind the scenes to life - those who keep the house running smoothly. Readers get to know the house mother, the housekeeper, the house cooks, and the rest who are paid little to make the lives of the wealthy even better.

Set in Ole Miss, this novel brings to light racial issues still occurring to this day/ At some points, I found them cringe-worthy, which I believe was the point. It is very hard in 2018 to think these things still exist, but as someone who grew up in the South can attest, racism is alive and well. This added element brought a level of depth to a novel that would have been lacking without it.

This novel is sugary-sweet, so if you are not a fan of sap, you may want to pass on this one. But, for the rest of us, it is a perfect read that will leave you feeling hopeful.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lisa Patton for providing me with a copy to read and review! This one will be released August 21, 2018.