Unkept: A Clean Contemporary Christan Womens Fiction Novel About the Art of Forgiveness and the Will to Go On

by Ericka Clay

As the live-in manager at her father’s funeral home in Burling Gates, Missouri, Vienna Oaks has succumbed to the mediocrity and abject loneliness of her life. Her days are suspended between the mundane and the misery of her clients’ throttling grief, of changing light bulbs, and encountering strangers as bereft as she. But after orchestrating the funeral for a little boy named Parker prompts a severe panic attack, she finds herself at a personal crossroads in which she is forced to confront the pregnancy she’s been hiding, her childhood nemesis, the boy she never stopped loving, and the deep-seated secret surrounding her mother’s death more than a decade before.

In another part of town, Heather Turnbull has just learned from her estranged father that her mother, a lifelong recluse, has died. When making arrangements for her funeral, Heather chooses Oaks Family Funeral home, where she comes face to face with Vienna – the woman she tortured throughout grade school, the woman who has recently had an affair with her husband.

Together, Vienna and Heather navigate through a makeshift friendship born of circumstance and devised to assuage their ambivalence towards motherhood and their tenuous relationship with reality, discovering, in tandem, the art of forgiveness and the will to go on. With humor and poignancy, Ericka Clay’s debut novel, Unkept, explores the thorny landscape of childhood trauma and the ferocious politics between little girls — and the adults they become.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2015

About the author

Find my free books here: https://erickaclay.com

Ericka Clay is a traditionally published novelist and poet formerly represented by Robyn Russell.

She graduated from the University of Arkansas Creative Writing department and is the author of several books including her latest novel, A Bird Alone.

Ericka has been awarded several times by Writers Digest for various short fiction pieces. She has written four novels (one of which placed as a quarter-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest) and has had her work featured in literary journals like Ruminate and Rock and Sling.

Ericka lives in Northwest Arkansas with her husband, daughter, two rats (yes, you read that correctly) and an insatiable need to push buttons, both figuratively and literally.

Reviews

[Jaye Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“…planting the tiniest seeds of hope in a person and watching them birth through a layer of grief…”

Still reeling from the unrelenting emotions I found in Dear Hearts, the Ericka Clay book I read first, I knew I was in for another painful read. And I was right.

This was no story-book romance or mystery, Ericka’s books get you by the throat and force you to witness real life as she sees it.

I know how accurate she is, for I have known people like the characters she portrays and parts of my own life have unfortunately been similar. I suspect there are many more people living lives like this than we know, for some people, life can be hard and unforgiving, making their struggle and determination to find a better one all the more remarkable.

This story was raw, bloody and powerful. The author lays bare all the emotional detritus of human life with the accuracy of a surgeon, exposing the underbelly.

Compelling and vicious, you will remember this book for a long time…

[Alysyn Reinhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given to me for review. For my full review, click here

You know the Bechdel test? The one that says your novel/movie/whatever should have at least two women in it, those women should have names, & they should talk with each other about something other than a man? This book passes that test with flying colors. It was really refreshing to read a story so rooted in what it's like to grow up as a girl and live like a woman. It rightfully fits into the Women's Fiction genre.

Both of the main characters felt realistic. Vienna is relatable and is a bit stuck in her life, but still pretty and enviable. Heather is a mean bitch, but has her own self esteem and familial issues. They have balanced personalities that didn't feel like cookie-cutter characters. As you read, you discover more and more about them, and they continue to grow as the story progresses. They also have some pretty dysfunctional, messed up families that made for an interesting cast of side characters.

There was a great theme of confronting your past and learning to let go. The book is embedded with several flashbacks to Vienna's and Heather's experiences as children or in high-school. This was a bit confusing at first because there's not much indication sometimes when a flashback is occurring, but it was quick and easy to flow back into the story.

A lot of the situations are highly dramatic. There's a lot going on, it's a little overwhelming, more and more issues are added on as the story moves forward, and sometimes it felt like too much at once.

But Clay's writing is distinct and clear. She slides in similes and metaphors that are so spot on you wonder how you never thought of them. She's very good at creating tangible and visual images for the reader so that you can better experience the intense emotions of her characters. Plus amid all the horrible deaths and stressful situations, Clay's amazing at making things funny. The small bits of comedy are great and often wonderfully sarcastic. Such as, “Brent would know how to fix that. I mean, maybe not personally, but he can recommend someone to you.”

Overall, a great read, with clear writing, an interesting story, and wonderful characters.

[Michelle Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the characters - relatable and real. Multiple layers of literature woven within a complex set of relationships, vivid scene settings and the reality of how the past lurks over our shoulder at every turn.
As a writer, I appreciated the themes, and symbols. As a reader, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Brilliant!

[eLPy eLPy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Unkept by Ericka Clay

I received an electronic copy of this book - per my request - in exchange for my honest review. :)

My Review:

One day, many weeks ago now I was checking out some of the blogs I follow. I happened across this crazy lady author I somewhat recently started following from Tipsy Lit. The post I found on this particular day was a call to reviewers and bloggers interested in reviewing her new novel Unkept. I'm not always a women's fiction fan but as with other genres if the blurb is interesting then we might have something; that's what happened here. So I reached out to Ericka with a little about me and a link to my blog.

She said sure, here's my e-book for Kindle!

And now we're here, my review, honest as promised of Unkept.

From the jump, I think the cover is bland, which perhaps was the author's intention given the title Unkept, contrasting it with something so simple and clean. But I still wish it gave me more to look at, more to draw me in, and told me something more about this story other than the title and who wrote it. Luckily for the author I was interested by her initial request and the synopsis. Had I of seen this in a store nothing would have drawn me to it.

Nonetheless, I began this book almost immediately after I got it and honestly I wasn't so immediately in love with it. It didn't grab me or me it from the start. I felt like there was so much jumping around and I really just wanted to understand what was happening with these two chicks. Luckily for me I read the blurb so I had something to hold on to, and my promise to review meant I was committed.

But unlike some other books I've read - just had to say that - it didn't take too long to be genuinely interested in not only the story but the characters, even if Heather isn't exactly the type of girl anyone wants to be friends with. Ericka's style of writing is both artistic and realistic. I love her use of metaphors in creating scenes and building her characters, they had more flavor, more emotion and more real life. I could feel her scenes, placing myself there as the actor or an observer. Here's some moments I particularly appreciated:

"That one, that one's called Louise," he had whispered, playing one of our usual games, naming a bloodied cat in a puddle of light beneath a street lamp. His face recognized what his mouth had said and the tears came because he was in no shape to stop them." [Louise is Vienna's mother, a drunk.]

"A thought, buried in her brain germinated and vined its way down her spine and around her limbs."

"But she couldn't stick with one train of thought because Loretta's plastic earrings were having a seizure at the sides of her head, and she could hear 'Elbie' steadily humming into the phone in his office."

"Heather could see her mother's anguish over her father running off and finding Ronnie, and how Heather used to roll her eyes and pray her mother would grow a pair. It was amusing how the tables jerked when they turned, leaving Heather with her own pair shriveled and out of commission." [Heather reflecting on being the one with a cheating husband.]

"I sometimes wonder if someone snuck their way up the stairs during a wake and came face to face with my closet, if they would assume I travel, that I go out a lot. That I have someone in my life that likes me in my dresses as much as I do. Or if they'd peg me for a recluse who has taken to online shopping."

"…I spritz myself with a perfume my father bought last Christmas. He said it smelled like the viewing room when it's brimming with flowers, and that scent reminded him of me. I just pretend he said, 'It smells like spring so it reminds me of you."

"He just sat there and for a few hard minutes, I saw my own grief reflected onto him and I was grateful for the reprieve." [The moment Vienna's father finds out she's pregnant.]

"Heather smiled. She picked it because it was an odd way to name a child, to give her firstborn the burden of everything Heather had ever endured. But her thoughts on the name were changing because it was the sorrowful things that seemed to break open while watching two birds argue over a berry, washing a pair of pink pajamas or stroking her face against Frankenstein's back. It was the sorrowful things that showed Heather just how beautiful the littlest wins could be." [Heather's thoughts on naming her unborn daughter Dolores, which stands for sorrows, oh and Frankenstein is her cat.]

Being someone who loves action/adventure movies like X-Men, the Avengers, Ironman, and the like - including recently John Wick starring yes folks Keanu Reeves - I really appreciated Ericka's twists and turns in this story. I wanted so badly to get to the end to see how this crazy drama played out. This book felt to me like a reality TV show but better because I didn't have to wonder how much was scripted, how much drama was forced; point being Ericka made it more real for me than reality TV. Those of us dysfunctional people can certainly appreciate what Heather & Vienna go through (lovin' the name Vienna, especially the nickname Sausage!). We all know that most dysfunction comes from a time before us but made juicier by us; Ericka does not fail to prove this as Heather & Vienna's families are no peach pie themselves.

Sometimes in literature I feel like authors can get too poetic (this coming from a poet), basically trying too hard but muddying the story instead. In this story she used just enough metaphor to not only bring the story to life, with all its drama, but also to pull it into a place of introspection and genuine emotion. Life is so full of these OMG, No Way moments but you can't just write a story about those things and hope they carry themselves. I think an author succeeds when they bring the human into the story and all our crazy - sometimes terrible - decisions. Thus the story carries itself and the drama is an ingredient, super tasty like salt. Nothing ever goes as planned and nothing planned ever just goes. It might seem insane that a victim ever befriend her childhood bully and yet they bond here essentially by what set them apart in the first place. She didn't dissuade me though by telling some sugar-coated story about how they become best friends and all is well in pony-land.

If you like stories about dysfunctional people and how they manage to function then read this. If you're interested in what becomes of bullies - especially girls - and the people they bully then read Unkept. If you like a good, realistic, emotionally thought out, sometimes humorous, well-written often poetic chick drama then please read Unkept by Ericka Clay. And Ericka Clay, thanks for sharing this story with us and evoking thoughts about just what would we do? I look forward to following Ericka's career and her future stories.

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars because I really like her fully fleshed characters and her use of metaphor, her style of writing and ability to make the story feel more real.

[Anna Cabral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unkept is a beautifully written and engaging novel. It tells the story of two troubled characters, Viena and Heather, whose lives become entangled due to family sin issues and dysfunction. As the story unfolds and circumstances seem increasingly hopeless, the characters develop as they realise the power of redemption.
Mrs Clay is a talented writer who grips the reader with raw, authentic, and engaging story lines.

[A.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

[EN] A few days ago I saw a Blog entry that asked any followers if they would be interested in reviewing a new Book called Unkept. All that was asked was an honest review afterward. I applied. Ericka Clay was kind enough to send me the e-book version and I made it my mission to read it with an open mind since I had never read any of her other books. I finished Unkept yesterday. And I have a problem; I do not know how to review it. Should I be honest, lie or settle somewhere in between?

Unkept is a story about two Ladies in a small town of Missouri. The story unfolds around a Funeral Home where Vienna works and Heather has to make arrangements for her mother’s death. Both have a history together and said history collides.

I love Ericka Clay’s writing style. It is clear, and easy to follow although the story sometimes gets lost in the emotional heap of both ladies. One of the pitfalls of book reviews is that reviews should be based on the story line as it is written, not what the Critic wished the Author wrote. While the story line is good in of itself, one even could say great in that it has a lot of women characters, and a solid base, Vienna and Heather are just too wimpy for my taste. As are most of the women in the story but two; Rosa and Loretta. Unfortunately they only have a minor role. Sadly the story is credible, as are Vienna & Heather.

As mentioned above, honest, lie or settle? I shall do honest. Take away the fact that I wished the Author had turned the woman in the book into strong life characters in the face of adversity, and somehow not let a tortured grade school era take up so much time in the story, I did find the later part of the story, and its ending, satisfactory. Women do it to themselves a lot. That pretty much sums up Unkept.

----

[DE] Vor ein paar Tagen sah ich einen Blog-Eintrag die Leser gefragt hat ob sie Interesse hatten eine Kritik über ein neues Buch namens Unkept zu schreiben. Vorraussetzung war nur ein ehrlicher Eindruck. Ich bewarb mich. Ericka Clay war so freundlich und hat mir die E-Book-Version zugeschicken. Noch nie hatte ich ihrer anderen Bücher gelesen. Ich beendete Unkept gestern. Und ich habe ein Problem; Ich weiß nicht wie ich über meinen Eindruck schreiben soll. Soll ich ehrlich zu sein, lügen oder irgendwo dazwischen?

Unkept ist eine Geschichte über zwei Frauen in einer kleinen Stadt in Missouri, USA. Die Geschichte entfaltet sich in einem Bestattungsunternehmen, wo Vienna arbeitet und Heather pläne macht für den Tod ihrer Mutter. Beide haben eine lange gemeinsame Geschichte und diese Geschichte prallt zusammen.

Ich liebe Ericka Clays Schreibstil. Es ist klar und einfach zu folgen, obwohl die Geschichte manchmal in dem emotionalen Haufen beider Damen verloren ist. Ein Buchkritik soll immer lesen was geschrieben worden ist, nicht was der Kritiker sehen will. Während die Geschichte in sich selbst gut ist indaß es eine Menge Frauen gibt die solide Rollen haben, Vienna und Heather sind einfach zu feige/schwach für meinen Geschmack. So sind auch die meisten Frauen in dem Buch but nicht zwei; Rosa und Loretta. Leider haben sie nur eine geringe Rolle. Leider ist die Geschichte auch glaubwürdig, ebenso wie der Charakter von Vienna & Heather.

Wie bereits erwähnt, ehrlich, lüge oder irgendwo dazwischen? Ich werde ehrlich sein. Ich hätte mir gewünschte das die Autorin starke Frauen gezeigt hätte, und irgendwie nicht zugelassen hätte dass eine miserable Grundschulzeit so viel Zeit in dem Buch nehmen würde, aber ich fand den späteren Teil des Buches, und das Ende, zufriedenstellend. Frauen tun ziemlich viel sich selbst an. Unkept summiert es ziemlich genau.

[Ashley Kagaoan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each page of Unkept got better and better. I do wish the word unkept actually appeared in the story. I kept waiting and wanting to see it. I read the word "unkempt" a couple of times and wondered why the author didn't choose "unkept" instead. I think it would have been a nice touch.

The characters in Unkept are both intriguing and well rounded. Vienna and Heather's connection,being childhood rivals, in love with the same man and both having lost their mothers along the way, keeps the story pulsing and the reader intrigued and questioning just how will they sort out this mess?

The setting, with the main focus on the funeral home, is a great character as well, with many challenges and a opportunities of its own. Everything is set up just right for a complex story of love and loss.

Reading this novel was like watching author Ericka Clay paint with all of the colors in her palette. I would describe her as an an abstract artist. At times, she uses too much paint and it is difficult to make out the picture. There are a lot of metaphors, back story, and flashbacks in Unkept that often interrupt the flow and clarity of the story. But as the story progressed, the painting became more refined and beautiful. Her unique phrases and fresh perspective appealed to the writer within me. And the words she used to describe how the characters were feeling pulled at my reader's heart strings. One piece that stands out in particular is when Heather asks Vienna to join her at the diner. Vienna likes the feeling of being needed even if it is at her own expense. But, of course, Clay doesn't write it that way. She writes, "But there's a spark in being needed, and I want to hold on to it until my hand burns." I felt that burning desire and it lingers with me still.

This is a beautiful piece of art. I loved the ending! I won't give it away but I feel it ended the way it was meant to. Ericka Clay remained true to her characters. She told their stories honestly, leaving all of their faults, hopes and dreams on the page, welcoming the reader to grab hold and embrace the ugly side of our humanness while revealing our greatest ability - forgiveness. The ending had a great impact on me as it left me feeling hopeful. What a wonderful reading experience. I definitely recommend reading Unkept.

[A. Fae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unkept: A Novel
By Ericka Clay

Burling Gates, Missouri, is one of those towns where many of us would have been ready to run upon graduating from high school. However, there were also girls like Vienna Oaks, our main character in Ericka Clay’s Unkept: A Novel. Vienna knew from a young age that her life would be to stay in town and help run her family’s mortuary and funeral home business. And as the ever so dutiful and hard-working daughter, she stays.

It is easy to be looked at as the one in the family who did what was meant for them – unlike that of her waste-of-space brother, Troy. However, that doesn’t mean that deep down inside you weren’t wishing for another outcome, like the one Heather Hammel – one of Vienna’s torturers from school – ended up with…or the man she ended up with, Wylamd Turnbull, the love of Vienna’s life since they were kids.

I must say that I was completely enthralled in this book from the jump. It completely kept me captivated until the very last
page. The interesting way in which Clay chooses to introduce us to the world of Burling Gates is both in first person, through Vienna’s voice, and in third person but from Heather’s perspective. Each of these ladies lives such a different life, but the same as the other.

The plethora of characters the women introduce us to all are quite charming in some way. They each play an intricate role in how these women’s lives have unfolded. Everyone from Vienna’s best friend since childhood, Rosa, who now does the makeup in the mortuary; to Amber Ellery, Heather’s best friend since childhood who was a part of the group that tormented Vienna when they were in school hand now – strictly on the outside – is living the life of luxury.

​I try my hardest in each review I write to not spoil the book for my readers because I know how irritated that makes me (If I ever do ruin one for you PLEASE email me!!) The reason I mention this is because I want you to know I’m not intentionally being vague. Unkept is an amazing book and definitely deserves a read if you enjoy contemporary fiction. Every word, in my opinion, is impassioned and there for a very particular reason, not just to fill pages.

[Cynthia Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Full and detailed review, see http://cynthology.blogspot.com/2015/0...

I wondered why Ericka had not called the book, Broken, since most of the characters were broken. The book alternates between the 1st person present tense account of Vienna Oaks and the 3rd person past tense account of Heather, her childhood nemesis. The different styles got me unconsciously supporting Vienna over Heather.

The funeral home setting is established in the first few pages. It takes a while to figure out who is who, because Ericka establishes the relationships and the circumstances in the best way possible: from the inside out. The relationships are all complicated and twisted. The friendship between Vienna and Rosa is beautifully described. While Rosa offers healing, Vienna’s Gram is "bacon in a pan snapping hot oil against my ear."

The writing is sensual. We taste the words as we read. The flashbacks are truly seamless. Ericka peels off layer after layer. She is matter-of-fact about everyone. There is no judgement. The women are strong, even when they are faced with the fickleness of the men. It is the men who are unable to keep their promises.

Unkept brings out the fact that grief and the need for forgiveness and redemption are universal. The novel is about the pain of ruptured relationships and the delicious release that comes of forgiving.

Reading Unkept left me feeling a little exhausted as if I had lived all those conflicting and troubled lives. I hope you’re convinced to read it too.

[Wendy Strain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply moving, the simple cover just doesn’t do this book justice. At the same time, it’s absolutely perfect as a representation of the story within. While it is possible to look at all of the characters in the book as living simple, vanilla kinds of lives, easily read and understood, Clay proves again and again how each life is profoundly different than what you’d expect. Full of flawed characters trying to carve out a tolerable state of existence for themselves, most of Clay’s characters have simply managed to anesthetize themselves to the pain of their worlds by the opening of the story. Throughout the story, Clay creates a heart-wrenching story of growing up unlike many you might have read before. She doesn’t just explore the dark realities of childhood most adults pretend don’t exist, she carries that growth forward into adulthood. Without judging her characters from hiding in food issues and delusional existence, Clay demonstrates through the action how true healing comes from the ability to face truth and adjust perspectives based on those truths. There’s more detail in my review on This Dark Matter blog, but overall, an excellent work of literary fiction.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unkept is a modern southern gothic novel written in a voice wholly unique to contemporary literary fiction. Two childhood enemies eke out an adult frienemy relationship when forced by circumstance back into each other's lives. Clay takes full liberty of the "grotesque" characteristics of the southern gothic genre, with broken characters who live in trash and vomit a lot. While hard to stomach some of her vivid descriptions of squalor and bodily fluids, it all serves a deeper purpose of illustrating the sub-surface issues of each character, and gives the reader clues as to the possibility of the characters' redemption/salvation (if the characters are willing to rise up and grasp at it - and no matter how bad the characters are, Clay has you rooting for them). I was engrossed by the conflict between the women, and sped through the book in about three sittings. Far better than any episode of Real Housewives for drama, and as opposed to Real Housewives fare, I felt smarter after reading it as opposed to dumber, so wins all around.

[Katie Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I was skeptical about this book.

The description definitely intrigued me, but most of my motivation to read it was because I follow the author on Wattpad, and have always enjoyed her poetry. But poetry doesn't always mean good writing, you know? But I gave it a chance.

Actually, what I was surprised to find is that the store is oddly breathtaking. Even evocative. Clay uses imagery that I've never heard of anywhere else, but not to a bad effect either. What I found was that what I liked about her poems actually bled into her fiction. It's a story, definitely, but it's a story of imperfection and redemption.

I don't even know how to categorize this book really while, and while not perfect (I was confused in a few places with the way she integrates flashbacks and memories) it was so compelling that I didn't put it down. Her voice is unique, fresh, and packed.

5 stars. I'll continue my stalking on watt pad, and wait for the next book.

[Cameron Garriepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Full disclosure: I am part of the publishing team at Bannerwing Books, so I have a certain vested interest in UNKEPT. That said, we believe in our projects, and my opinion of this novel is part of why we chose to publish it.**

UNKEPT is not a story of heroic people triumphing against insurmountable odds. It is a keening song of surviving a thousand paper cuts. It's the story of damaged people wading out of the muck in their own hearts in search of finding "good enough." It is a ruthless examination of how girls can be, and how those girls might grow up. It's the story of two screwed up families on parallel roads to redemption, and two hopelessly intertwined tales of infatuation played out in full view of a small town over decades.

Seasoned with wry, bleak humor, UNKEPT delves into the uncomfortable, dark truths in the everyday heart.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rapid-fire review on Priscilla and her Books

[Ericka Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unkept was a journey of digging into all that loneliness one feels navigating middle school and discovering the ways it plays out into adulthood. It reminded of how bleak life is when we play the world's game instead of leaning into God.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me a little longer than normal to get through, admittedly it was a busy month and full of craziness, but usually if a book really pulls me in there is nothing that can take me away from it until its done. However, after saying that I must say that towards the end I did get enrapt in it. I'm having a hard time relating the title of the book to the story, but maybe I just didn't 'get' it. Regardless of that, the book was intriguing. The characters each had their flaws, with parallels throughout the book between the characters and frienemies. I did get a little lost within the different emotional struggles both women had, and found them overall pretty weak in getting through struggles. I want to rate this a 3.5 because it still just leaves me wondering if I enjoyed it or not as a whole. I do think that if I re-read the book I might catch on to more nuances that I missed the first time.