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On the Bricks
Cass Blankenship was just released after spending ten years in prison for a murder she didn't commit. All she really wants to do now is head for sunny California, a place where nobody knows she was convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend's ex-wife. But, the terms of her parole have her released to live in her sister's halfway house back home in Arkansas where she's bunking with speed freaks and hookers.
Cass can get her parole transferred if she stays out of trouble, but trouble is all she seems to find. She can't even go to the grocery store without running into someone who thinks she should still be in prison. It feels like her only choice is to enlist help from her hesitant but desperate parole officer to find the real killer and clear her name for good. But first she has to find her sister, who's probably taken off to do meth, then try to save Blankenship House from foreclosure, and help a teenaged felon deliver a baby, all while avoiding her ex and his Wrangler snake. And if her plan goes south, she'll be back in the can by Labor Day.
Cass can get her parole transferred if she stays out of trouble, but trouble is all she seems to find. She can't even go to the grocery store without running into someone who thinks she should still be in prison. It feels like her only choice is to enlist help from her hesitant but desperate parole officer to find the real killer and clear her name for good. But first she has to find her sister, who's probably taken off to do meth, then try to save Blankenship House from foreclosure, and help a teenaged felon deliver a baby, all while avoiding her ex and his Wrangler snake. And if her plan goes south, she'll be back in the can by Labor Day.
246 pages, ebook
First published January 20, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 4, 2017
Penni Jones delivers a gritty novel about an ex-felon named Cass trying to get her life together after her release from prison. Jones is great at bringing to life a gallery of characters inhabiting the halfway house Cass lives in and the struggle she faces as an ex-addict dealing with her history in her hometown. Oh yeah, and Penni Jones brings great comic relief too! Strap in for a great read! Can't wait to see what's next from Penni Jones!
April 13, 2017
The publisher charged me $6.65CAD for this e-book in exchange for my honest review.
Okay, so for a while here in Canada, there was this show on OUTtv called Sex and Violence, all about (fictional) social workers and their clients--mostly women but sometimes men fleeing from abusive situations--and the halfway houses those clients lived in, and the people who ran them. And it was generally good, okay, it was realistic and unflinching and it told its stories with tremendous humanity, from all sides.
But, um.
Increasingly--I mean it was always thus with this show, but then increasingly--there were buckets of wieners; tons of wieners; piles of wieners. Not out of context, I'm not saying that, just, whether it was rape or murder or kidnapping or slavery or whatever, sooner or later there'd be at least one sexy young hardbody just standing around, wiener akimbo.
And the thing of it was, in order to make this titillating, oftentimes even the ugliest, most violent scenes were presented in a sexy sort of way. Not in the WHAMMO! jarring way where you were feeling sexy but now it's ruined--for effect, like--but more like "We don't think you'd be watching this program if you didn't get to see you some spray-tanned wieners."
But I wasn't watching it for the wieners, okay, they were nice enough in their way but mostly I was in it for Olympia Dukakis's boozy, kung fu fighting, sex-positive, octogenarian wig enthusiast.
(And the storytelling.)
And okay, so like sometimes you have this friend whose ritual Airing o' the Grievances feels a little bit silly to you, you know, the world is crumbling into dust all around you and she's like "I didn't hear that guy who plays the harmonica outside Falafel Magic tell me to smile till I'd already passed him, so I didn't smile, and now I'm being targeted for harassment by the entire homeless population of British Columbia."
And you're like Kim, there's people that are dying.
And so then you read Penni Jones's On the Bricks, and you take in the halfway house, the crack house, the junkies, the jailbirds, the abusers and the abused, broken people breaking other people, rich people, poor people, everybody fudging up every which way, ugliness on top of ugliness, half of it's pancake breakfasts and the other half's hot, smelly punches in the baby factory, you too could be a loser, and she doesn't fall back on sexy sexiness to try to hold your attention, doesn't use melodrama to jerk your tears, doesn't pigeonhole people with their behaviour, good or bad…
It's a big, broad, wretched story, for everyone involved, but she just… tells it. Spare and matter-of-fact, making no excuses, offering no answers, trusting the reader to draw his own conclusions.
It could've been gross, okay, it could've been schmaltzy, swelling orchestra, oozing tears, rending garments, clutching your Prayer Cross gross, a run-of-the-mill fairy tale of redemption in which everyone gets what they deserve, whatever that may be, and the heroine smiles triumphantly through eyes shining with righteousness, certain of her bright future.
Instead it's honest without getting smurfy about it, no wisecracking antiheroine--saints preserve us from the GD wisecracking antiheroine, staaaaaahp. It's a bunch of people who were maybe born into bad luck, maybe brought it on themselves, maybe devolved into misery over time. Whichever, here are the cruddy things that happened to them as a result, and here is what they did about it.
No quirky neighbour, no puppy stealing your ice cream cone, no Motown dance montage, just folks, doing the best they can with what they have, and sometimes the best they can is pretty lousy, but whatever, man, that's life. We all fall down.
There are some wieners. I'm not gonna lie. But they're contextual wieners. The importance cannot be overstated.
Okay, so for a while here in Canada, there was this show on OUTtv called Sex and Violence, all about (fictional) social workers and their clients--mostly women but sometimes men fleeing from abusive situations--and the halfway houses those clients lived in, and the people who ran them. And it was generally good, okay, it was realistic and unflinching and it told its stories with tremendous humanity, from all sides.
But, um.
Increasingly--I mean it was always thus with this show, but then increasingly--there were buckets of wieners; tons of wieners; piles of wieners. Not out of context, I'm not saying that, just, whether it was rape or murder or kidnapping or slavery or whatever, sooner or later there'd be at least one sexy young hardbody just standing around, wiener akimbo.
And the thing of it was, in order to make this titillating, oftentimes even the ugliest, most violent scenes were presented in a sexy sort of way. Not in the WHAMMO! jarring way where you were feeling sexy but now it's ruined--for effect, like--but more like "We don't think you'd be watching this program if you didn't get to see you some spray-tanned wieners."
But I wasn't watching it for the wieners, okay, they were nice enough in their way but mostly I was in it for Olympia Dukakis's boozy, kung fu fighting, sex-positive, octogenarian wig enthusiast.
(And the storytelling.)
And okay, so like sometimes you have this friend whose ritual Airing o' the Grievances feels a little bit silly to you, you know, the world is crumbling into dust all around you and she's like "I didn't hear that guy who plays the harmonica outside Falafel Magic tell me to smile till I'd already passed him, so I didn't smile, and now I'm being targeted for harassment by the entire homeless population of British Columbia."
And you're like Kim, there's people that are dying.
And so then you read Penni Jones's On the Bricks, and you take in the halfway house, the crack house, the junkies, the jailbirds, the abusers and the abused, broken people breaking other people, rich people, poor people, everybody fudging up every which way, ugliness on top of ugliness, half of it's pancake breakfasts and the other half's hot, smelly punches in the baby factory, you too could be a loser, and she doesn't fall back on sexy sexiness to try to hold your attention, doesn't use melodrama to jerk your tears, doesn't pigeonhole people with their behaviour, good or bad…
It's a big, broad, wretched story, for everyone involved, but she just… tells it. Spare and matter-of-fact, making no excuses, offering no answers, trusting the reader to draw his own conclusions.
It could've been gross, okay, it could've been schmaltzy, swelling orchestra, oozing tears, rending garments, clutching your Prayer Cross gross, a run-of-the-mill fairy tale of redemption in which everyone gets what they deserve, whatever that may be, and the heroine smiles triumphantly through eyes shining with righteousness, certain of her bright future.
Instead it's honest without getting smurfy about it, no wisecracking antiheroine--saints preserve us from the GD wisecracking antiheroine, staaaaaahp. It's a bunch of people who were maybe born into bad luck, maybe brought it on themselves, maybe devolved into misery over time. Whichever, here are the cruddy things that happened to them as a result, and here is what they did about it.
No quirky neighbour, no puppy stealing your ice cream cone, no Motown dance montage, just folks, doing the best they can with what they have, and sometimes the best they can is pretty lousy, but whatever, man, that's life. We all fall down.
There are some wieners. I'm not gonna lie. But they're contextual wieners. The importance cannot be overstated.
November 20, 2019
Penni Jones writes intriguing, multi-faceted characters, but, none more so than Cass Blankenship. On the days you feel like you just can’t catch a break, read a chapter of On the Bricks! Cass has you beat, but, you will also find you can’t help but root for her. If you’re looking for a great read about the dark and dirty side of the South, go with this one. It will capture your attention from the first page. This is my first read from Penni Jones, but, won’t be my last!
February 4, 2017
I've seen this book described as "Southern grit lit," in many reviews, and it fits the description perfectly. But I'd add that it also has a twist of southern charm and humor too, which I loved. It is clear that the author is familiar with Arkansas and its culture... it was easy to feel the heat and rhythm of the south come through the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in the book, as each had his/her own distinct personality. The mystery that Cass is trying to solve (who was really responsible for the murder for which she was wrongly imprisoned) had my attention through its intriguing conclusion. One of the most interesting parts of the story to me was seeing (and believeing) how Cass had to let her anger and resentment go early on, in order to survive. My favorite part may be the subtitle though - "Book 1," as I hope to read more about these characters and the Blankenship House for Displaced Women and Children in the future.
Note: I received this book as an ARC from the publisher in return for an honest review.
Note: I received this book as an ARC from the publisher in return for an honest review.
March 16, 2017
I am from Arkansas. And I write mysteries. Penni Jones is better at both of those things than I am. Better at writing mysteries. Better at being from Arkansas. In On the Bricks, she captures a sense of place about as well as I have seen someone do. And, while nailing that, she also gives us a mystery full of wit and warmth. There is a heart behind this story which is often missing or lacking in Southern Grit Lit. Jones cares for her characters not so much like a mother. More like a great photographer. She doesn't sugar coat them. She doesn't hide anything from us or try to force us to love them as much as she does. She simply captures them from every angle. She lets them speak for themselves and she lets us fall in love with them at our own pace and in our own way. I found it very Flannery O'Connor of her. And I very much appreciated it.
April 24, 2017
Entertaining & suspenseful story that I thoroughly enjoyed to the end.
October 8, 2018
I’ve read both On the Bricks and Kricket by Penni Jones and comparing the two shows how skilled the author is. Though both books are written in the first person point-of-view, the voice is distinctly different for each novel even though each protagonist has the author’s wry wit. In Kricket, the protagonist is a bit cynical and world-weary—a hardboiled, noir voice that matches the novel’s dystopian genre. On the Bricks was painted on an entirely different canvas: real, intimate, raw, heart-wrenching. The protagonist Cass is so much more vulnerable, confused, and critical of herself, just as a person leaving prison after 10 years would be.
At its core, On the Bricks is a mystery tale. Having taken the fall for a murder she didn’t commit, Cass is forced to find the real killer and prove her innocence in order to get her late father’s inheritance—which she needs to begin a new life in California and keep her ex-drug addict sister’s halfway house from closing. Along the way to solving this mystery, we meet a vivid cast of characters who live here: very believable, traumatized women who are trying to recover from drugs, prostitution, and domestic abuse. Despite plenty of conflicts, they come together to form a tight-knit, supportive family. There’s also sex, romance, humor, betrayal, self-destructive drug addicts—and bright spots of hope. Highly recommended!
At its core, On the Bricks is a mystery tale. Having taken the fall for a murder she didn’t commit, Cass is forced to find the real killer and prove her innocence in order to get her late father’s inheritance—which she needs to begin a new life in California and keep her ex-drug addict sister’s halfway house from closing. Along the way to solving this mystery, we meet a vivid cast of characters who live here: very believable, traumatized women who are trying to recover from drugs, prostitution, and domestic abuse. Despite plenty of conflicts, they come together to form a tight-knit, supportive family. There’s also sex, romance, humor, betrayal, self-destructive drug addicts—and bright spots of hope. Highly recommended!
November 10, 2017
I really enjoyed 'On the Bricks'- a story about a girl from rural Arkansas named Cass Blankenship who is framed for a crime she didn't commit. Jones delivers at turns a gritty and humorous novel about Cass's journey to clear her name. The characters were realistic and engaging and delved into a side of our society that not everyone gets to see. It moves along quickly, keeps the reader interested and even throws in a bit of romance between Cass and her parole officer. I would recommend 'On the Bricks' to the reader who enjoys a comeback story with a sweet center.
February 3, 2019
Amazing writing. The just-right imagery reminded me of Megan Abbott, the Southern noir tone like Daniel Woodrell. The novel is partly mystery, a languid but intriguing story of women caught up in a small town post-prison world. Saw the author at the Elgin Literary Fest giving an impressive presentation on anti-heroes and took a chance. After a few pages, I immediately went on Amazon and ordered KRICKET, her post-apocalyptic novel.
January 19, 2020
Could not finish.
March 16, 2019
I love finding stories that surprise me, and Penni Jones has delivered a unique and compelling story about a woman trying to rebuild her life after prison, and solve the crime for which she was sentenced. With a strong narrative voice, Jones has created characters that I want to follow, and unpacks the dynamics of a dysfunctional family and tight-knit community in a way that made me feel like I was afforded an insider's view of an intimate family portrait. This is great crime fiction, and just great fiction.
February 24, 2017
Jones offers an engrossing look into the life of a woman fresh off her wrongful incarceration and looking to start her life over. . .sort of. Readers are quickly sucked into Cass' imperfect attempt to reform the previous vices that led to her conviction while also trying to prove her innocence. Although the characters themselves--and I do say characters, as Cass, her sister, her fellow halfway house residents, and the neighbors who come and go their small Arkansas town each offer their own eccentricities--are fully realized and captivating themselves, the sense of place that Jones creates serves almost as an additional character. Readers get a clear sense of the suffocating heat, persistent lack of opportunity, and general grittiness of Cass' new hometown. You'll be sucked in from the first line until the satisfying and surprising end.
February 10, 2017
Fun, heart-warming and a page turner, full of the kind of characters who jump right off the page and one-liners that make you laugh and cry.
February 10, 2017
On the Bricks is a page-turner! Once I started, I could hardly put it down. The characters are fascinating, which really drew me into the book. I love the grit, it feels so real that it sucks you right in. I absolutely loved it from start to finish. Would highly recommend it! Kudos to Penni Jones on this amazing novel!
March 24, 2017
I LOVED this book. So dark and gritty but also very hopeful. The writing is impeccable and honest. And the mystery at the heart of it kept me turning the pages. I can't wait for Penni Jones's next book.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews