Rating:
When the UAW agitators arrive to drum up support for a Union
vote the future of the factory seems even more dubious, but Friday finds
herself attracted to the gorgeous El who may be the catalyst which destroys the
local towns economy.
As the plant management fail to protect its workers and support
for the Union vote increases, Friday is torn between her growing attraction for
the agitator and her knowledge that once the union campaign is over El will be
off to the next battle, leaving her even more empty and alone.
As a Brit who has never been to the Midwest, let alone a small
town dominated by the automotive industry I have to put my hands up and say
there were may things in this book which took some time to understand. Having
read a huge number of US based LesFic romances I thought I had read a reasonably
broad range of American experiences from blue collar to high society and from
Southern Belles and California babes to East Coast Alpha power players.
If you don’t have any reference points then the assembly line
practices, the family interactions and the small town society can all feel
alien. To be honest the first third of the book felt like I was reading about a
different country, possibly even in a different language. In the UK all auto
factories are unionized, it’s a given, so even thinking through the choices US
workers face was a challenge.
But these characters grow on you. They are warm and human and
well rounded. Their relationships are founded in love and knowledge, and a huge
amount of small town tolerance for each other.
The story takes us on a journey, it challenges us to think about
the politics and the implications for a small community whose whole economy is
routed in one failing industry. Both Friday and El are aware that there are 2
sides to every argument and while in a poorly run plant the union might be
essential to protect the workers, it wont benefit everybody.
At the same time we have the budding and yet troubled romance
between the two women. El who has run away from a personal mess and Friday who
has lost herself. Their attraction is obvious and their growing affection is
humorously written and lovely to watch. The interaction and intervention of
Friday’s friends and Grammy as the story unfolds make this a tale set in a
level of love and understanding not many of us have encountered.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. And if you struggle at the beginning
because it isn’t a familiar environment I would strongly recommend working your
way in to the town, the people and the romance. It will definitely be on my
re-read pile for the future.
Also published at Lesbian Reading Room
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