The Art of Dumpster Diving

by Jennifer Anne Moses

“The lyrical prose style is reminiscent of Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing but the suspension of disbelief and ability to connect to the wacky characters is what readers will find most engaging about the story.”―School Library Journal "The Art of Dumpster Diving  packs a wallop. Glorious storytelling in an authentic voice.”– Adriana Trigiani New York Times bestselling author of  Big Stone Gap  and  Tony's Wife “A moving and heart-felt  story of family and community, and the symbiotic ways the two can shape and sustain one another.”– Jo Watson Hackl, Author of  Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe , Winner, Southern Book Prize for Children’s Literature From award-winning author Jennifer Moses comes an incredible story of the power of family, love and the human-spirit. Sixteen-year-old James and his little brother, Danny, live in Crystal Springs, Louisiana, with their grandmother, mother, and first cousin, Lila. The family is working class, proud, strict, and church-going. When a big, clumsy boy named Gabriel moves up the street with his minuscule and mysterious “auntie,” James has a new friend who he loves and hates in equal measure. When Grandma dies and Lila runs away, James and Danny’s mother struggles to make things work, but something’s wrong, so wrong that one awful day, James finds his mother lying in her bed, dead. Panicked, he runs to the only person he can think of, his friend Gabriel. Gabriel insists that if the authorities know that there are no adults at home, they’ll send James and Danny away to foster care or worse, and ends up convincing James that the only way to maintain any kind of decent life for himself and his little brother is to carry on as if things are normal. The boys bury the body under an abandoned house, and, as James tries to make ends meet (procuring food from dumpsters) things become increasingly desperate.  

It’s Gabriel who comes up with a “master plan” to find a woman who looks enough like the boys’ mother that she can pass for her---and get money out of the bank. They recruit Lucetta from a soup kitchen, and she moves in. For a while, things begin to look up---and then they fall apart completely. But in the process of losing everything, James and his brother Danny gain a new family, one based on grit, faith and hope.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2020

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up.

This was a fairy tale look at an extremely important subject matter - the death of your parents and staying out of foster care.


Why in the world did James (the elder brother) ever listen to his friend Gabriel? This was a plot device that made this go from an interesting book to a horror story. And perhaps that is what this book was supposed to be -a horror story. It sure did not entertain me, educate me, or leave me with anything uplifting. What this book did was horrify me. I think that is what this author was going for. Not all foster systems are like this and to have young teens read something like this, is irresponsible. But then, that is just me and my feelings.

*ARC supplied by publisher -and may I say that I was wondering why I didn't get approved until well after the publishing date -now I know why.

[Carolyn Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slice of tragic life told with a light touch. The writing is direct and engaging; it feels like a YA selection. The ending seemed just a bit too neat & tidy

[Dr. Reno · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the premise is intriguing and has some interesting facets the story itself seems underdeveloped and in many ways unrealistic. While I am sure that there are kids who slip through the cracks of social safety nets when caregivers die, and while I know that there are serious flaws in the foster system, this book lacks a depth of development of these plot points that would make it an effective commentary on the system. I ordered it for our collection based on advance praise but it did not hold up to the recommendations.

[Amanda (spooky.octopus.reads) Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is usually outside of the genres that I read, as I am usually into horror/thriller type stories. However, I was so excited to get this book from @turnerpub to read and review for just that reason; I needed a break from my usual reading, something different.

I can honestly say that this book was certainly a refreshing surprise, and I did genuinely enjoy it.

What I say next may sound like spoilers, but I checked, and I'm not going to say anything more than the synopsis already does.

The general story goes like this....two brothers live in rural Louisiana with their grandmother, mother, and sister. Grandma dies. Lila runs away. Mom tries to keep the family together, but one day James finds his mother lying dead in her bed. He runs to the only true friend he has for help, Gabriel. Gabriel helps James hid his mother's body under and abandoned house. Gabriel comes up with schemes to help the boys live life like normal, because they fear that if the authorities find out that their alone, they will be taken to foster care and separated from each other. Gabriel comes up with his greatest plan yet when the boys begin to grow increasingly hungry and desperate.

Seriously, I loved the characters in this book. The unbreakable bond of the brothers throughout this terribly tragic time was so well done. The transformation of Danny, the younger of the brothers, towards the ending of the book had me rooting for him and cheering him on. Gabriel was such a "fun" character, if I can say that in light of the tragedies in this book. You knew his ideas were so bad, but they were still so good.

4/5 stars- I felt that the events in the beginning of the book seemed much more rushed than the pacing of the rest of the story, but I would totally recommend this book for contemporary fiction fanatics, or someone looking for a book to help them reach out of their typical reading picks.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fiction sucked me in and I simply needed to keep reading to see how it all resolved. This is the story of newly orphaned James and Danny (brothers), Gabriel their friend, their sister/cousin Lila, who ran away from home, and a homeless woman Lucetta who came to live with pretend to be their mother. The story took place from the POV of James the older brother. I felt like the author really nailed the southern child vernacular and their dialogue seemed very true to life.

The plot was certainly creative and the writing gave enough description of imagery that I felt like I was watching the plot as I could visualize it all well. There were aspects that were extremely grotesque but it wouldn’t have been this unique story without them. I appreciated the character of Gabriel, who seems like he is on the autism spectrum.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautifully written! I'm a hard sell when it comes to regional accents or phrases in dialogue, but every character was so real that I heard it as conversation. It was the truest novel I've read in years: every emotion felt real and a few hit me hard enough to laugh or cry out loud. I worried for the characters as if they were my kid's classmates. Highly recommend!

In fact, I'll add that Moses nails it in memoir, too. Bagels and Grits: A Jew on the Bayou

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this well written books that is both engrossing and full of food for thought.
The characters are well developed, the setting is vivid and realistic, the plot flows.
It was a good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Reagan Prather · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little book that has odd characters and odd life lessons. Very unique plotline!

[Julia Hutto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relevant plot and subject but unremarkable writing.

[jaclyn gleicher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - liked it

it was good, at times funny, but in a serious situation such as being orphaned, it was just a bit too lighthearted and not fully fleshed out. wanted a bit more of the nitty gritty stuff, the harsh reality of it all. Gabriel is just... something else

[Sarah Kaputa · Rating 3 out of 5]

about a family that slowly turns into two, and what the kids have to do to survive. really sweet story, nice and short novella

[Natalie Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahhh do I love a quick enjoyable read. Got this book from a little free library and am glad to of taken the time to read it.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about 2 brothers and their sad life after their father dies, grandmother and then mother. The older brother along with his slow friend hide her body so him and his brother don’t end up in foster care. They have a cousin that left home the day before the father died but they don’t try to contact her. They find a woman from a homeless shelter to pretend to be their mother so she can go to the bank and make withdrawals. They allow her to live with them in return. It ends up that she is a mess with an abusive boyfriend that trashes their house. She also steals from them and these boys are a mess. Finally the cousin comes back and takes care of them.