Hot Fudge Sundae Blues: A Novel [Paperback]

Bev Marshall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2005

A lyrical coming-of-age story set in the 1960s, Hot Fudge Sundae Blues is an extraordinary companion to Bev Marshall’s first two novels, Walking Through Shadows and Right as Rain. Here again she mines the territory of the small town of Zebulon, Mississippi, where even the most seemingly ordinary folks harbor well-disguised heartaches and intricate secrets.

Thirteen-year-old Layla Jay was only pretending when she knelt before the preacher to seek salvation. She was hoping to make her grandma happy and get noticed by the cute new boy in town. But religion truly piques her interest when a young, handsome visiting preacher stays at her family’s home. Wallace seems genuinely interested in Layla Jay’s life–until he meets her mama and falls head over heels, like many men have before him.

When Wallace marries Frieda, Layla Jay believes she will finally have the father she’s always wanted. But it seems that none of her dreams will come true as Layla Jay wrestles with her mother’s reckless ways, her unsavory stepfather, a best friend’s betrayal, and the longing for love’s first kiss. Yet everything pales in comparison to what happens next as Layla Jay is forced to tell a lie to save her mother’s world from crashing down.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Layla Jay, the endearing young narrator of Marshall's third novel (following Right as Rain), fakes salvation at the age of 13 to impress a boy at church. Religious themes play a large role in this coming-of-age tale set in the early 1960s, but the story actually revolves around a different kind of faith—a faith in people and in family, despite all their flaws. Layla Jay leads a relatively happy life in her small Mississippi town, but when her flakey alcoholic mother marries a hypocritical revivalist preacher, their home is thrown into chaos, and Layla Jay comes to realize that God answers prayers in perplexing and often painful ways. In the scattered, melodramatic first half of the book, disasters befall Layla Jay and her family one after another: her grandmother dies, her mother survives a near-fatal car accident, and Layla Jay escapes her stepfather's attempt to rape her only when her mother finishes him off with a 7-Up bottle. The second half of the novel then deepens into an exploration of the consequences of deceit and the nature of familial love. Throughout, Marshall propels the story with all-too-human characters whose faults are enormous and whose mistakes are almost inexcusable, but who are never beyond forgiveness.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In Marshall's third novel set in sultry Zebulon, Mississippi, the author treads mother-daughter territory reminiscent of Janet Fitch's White Oleander (1999) and Mona Simpson's Anywhere but Here (1986). Layla Jay and her mother, a widow on the prowl for a good man (or just a good time), stave off sorrow by indulging in Tastee Freeze hot-fudge sundaes: "Filled with that cup of joyful sweetness, suddenly you don't have the blues anymore." But when Mom marries lecherous evangelist Wallace during Layla Jay's first year of junior high, magnifying the trauma of a pair of family tragedies and general postpubescent confusion, the blues aren't so easy to chase away. Tension erupts in a grisly crime of passion, leaving Layla Jay contemplating perjury to protect her mother. Despite grim elements, Marshall propels her characters ever closer to contentment, introducing lovable supporting characters that balance the sorrow with perfect (often too-perfect) symmetry. But there is real complexity in the bond between mother and daughter, and the trials they endure leave one all the more satisfied when the maraschino-cherry-sweet conclusion hints at brighter horizons. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345468430
• ISBN-13: 978-0345468437
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A stunning book!, September 1, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot Fudge Sundae Blues: A Novel (Paperback)

It's 1963 and after numerous Sunday altar calls, 13-year-old Layla Jay decides it is time to seek salvation. Never mind that she was pretending to be "saved" and that she feels a certain amount of guilt. Layla Jay wanted to make her grandmother happy, get noticed by a boy and besides, she had been dramatically playing out the scene for a long time. And it played just like a movie.

Religion becomes more interesting to Layla Jay when a handsome preacher comes to stay at her family's home. Wallace gives Layla Jay his attention until the beautiful Frieda (Layla Jay's mother) waltzes back home. Wallace and Frieda marry and for a brief moment Layla Jay believes she'll have the father she lost to death at age two. She soon learns that Wallace is not as he seems and her mother's childish and reckless behavior places Layla Jay and herself at risk. During this troublesome time, Layla Jay has to deal with her best friend's betrayal and a boy who can't seem to make a decision about who he loves. Ultimately it is an act of love and sacrifice to protect her daughter that places Frieda at risk. It is a lie told by Layla Jay that just might keep her life and that of her mother's from disintegrating.

I love Bev Marshall's ability to tell intriguing stories. She mixes a bit of humor with a whole lot of tragedy. She also introduces us to humanity in the form of her rich and complex characters that you hate to say good-bye to when the last page has been read. I can't wait to see what she writes next. And you'd better believe I'll be waiting for its release. And none too patiently I might add.

Armchair Interviews says: You'll also enjoy Walking Through Shadows and Right as Rain.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Yourself., March 5, 2007

By 

Art Lover "Sicilian" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot Fudge Sundae Blues: A Novel (Paperback)

Basically, I had nothing in common with Layla Jay's character except that I was a girl, had once been a teenager, have a mother and feared God! This was more than enough to connect to this intensely fascinating story of a wonderfully, interesting family that basically struggles to survive and find a greater understanding of things beyond our control. The characters are interesting, sometimes charming and mostly flawed! This is what makes it a great story because on some levels it is a true reflection of humankind!
Great work Bev!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable!, December 2, 2005

By 

Trinity "Tiffany" (Birmingham, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot Fudge Sundae Blues: A Novel (Paperback)

I picked up this book after reading "Walking through the Shadows" by Bev Marshall. That was a great book, she is such a talented storyteller. However, I must say though, I loved this book more. I will not give away any hints as to what this book is about. There was one point when I felt that if I did not finish the book that I would come apart with worry and angst over Layla Jay's situation. Ms. Marshall really grabbed me with this one and I really, couldn't put it down.