Under the rainbow

Author

Celia Laskey

Call Number

• FICTION LASK (CEN)

Publication Information

New York : Riverhead Books, 2020.

Physical Description

278 pages ; 22 cm

Summary

"In the small town of Big Burr, Kansas, ministers warn that 'Satan was the first to demand equal rights,' a lesbian-owned bed and breakfast mysteriously burns to the ground, and casually bigoted social media posts are the norm. But when a national nonprofit labels Big Burr 'the most homophobic town in America' and sends in a task force in a Real World-style experiment - as residents for two years, they'll attempt to broaden hearts and minds - no one is truly prepared for the other. Avery desperately wants to fit in with her new high school classmates, but with her "lesbian crusader" mom running the task force, she's terrified that it's only a matter of time until she's outed. Across town, Linda tries to escape her grief over her son's death by befriending the arrivals, who know mercifully little about her past. But to Christine, profoundly attached to the carefully orchestrated rhythms of Big Burr life, they are not only a threat but a call to action. As tensions roil the town, cratering relationships and forcing closely guarded secrets into the light, local and interloper alike are forced to consider what it really means to belong. Told with warmth and wit, in a chorus of unexpected voices, Under the Rainbow is a poignant articulation of our complicated humanity that reminds us we are more alike than we'd like to admit"--