Pulp, a little book review

Uhhh it's been a while! Like always I don't have a reason why I stopped blogging I just ended up pouring my creativity into Instagram instead I guess? 

I have a reading wrap up coming towards the end of January/the start of February but for now, I've got a book review of a book that's given me the biggest book hangover!

In 1955, eighteen-year-old Janet Jones keeps the love she shares with her best friend a secret. In the age of McCarthyism to be gay is a sin. But when Janet discovers a series of books about women falling in love with other women, it awakens her need to write. As she juggles a romance she must keep hidden and a newfound ambition to publish her own story, she risks exposing herself, and Marie, to a danger all too real.

Sixty-two years later, Abby Zimet can’t stop thinking about her senior project: classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. She feels especially connected to one author, Marian Love, and becomes determined to track her down and discover her true identity. But is Abby prepared for what she will find?

Two women connected across generations through the power of words.

Pulp is a dual POV book set across two generations, we start off in September 2017 with Abbey who rather than focusing on her assignment is to busy thinking about her ex Linh. In chapter two we meet Janet in June 1955, desperately waiting for a letter.

I instantly fell in love with both Abbey and Janet, two girls from very different worlds who actually aren't that different.

Throughout the book, lesbian pulp fiction from the 1950s is explored with Abbey discovering and becoming quickly obsessed with the genre and similarily with Janet, hence the name of the book. 

As well as been an entertaining read it was also educational, learning about the genre and also some insight into how the publishing in a time where being LGBT+ was still classed as a sin. I also ended up learning about the McCarthy (U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1947–1957) era. From the late 1940s through the 1950s, McCarthyism (also known as the Second Red Scare,  hundreds of Americans were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers; they became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning.

At times, the book was a little slow but overall the pacing was really good with twists that made me have to put the book down for a few seconds just so that I could take it in!

I was hooked from page one, Robin Talley has created such an engaging story and has been able to do it across two completely different time periods with a range of various different characters. I loved this approach at historical fiction, sometimes I find you can be quite bogged down by it but breaking up each chapter with Abby's modern perspective really helped keep me connected - although don't get me wrong I'd love another book completely from Janet's POV she's such a fascinating character and I'd love to delve deeper into her life!

Thank you so much for reading, if you'd like to see more updates of my reading progress this year feel free to follow me on Goodreads (x)
And if you want to read any more of my reviews whether it's games, comics or books you can also find me over at The Valkeryies, so please do check that out!


If you'd like to read more about McCarthyism here's a wiki page that delves a little deeper!

Vicki x