*I was provided a copy of the book from the author via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

Stork Bite was a beautifully crafted story with well-developed characters and setting and some strong social commentary. The story is split into two parts:

Book One is focused on David Walker, a seventeen-year-old black man whose encounter with a Klansmen ends violently, and this one unfortunate, unplanned situation changes the trajectory of his life. Set in 1913, the violent interaction instigates what is otherwise a slowly unfolding story. This first book is contemplative and introspective. Simonds paints a vivid picture of his daily existence in the first year alone in the wilds of the East Texas bayou around Caddo Lake, then, later, as he spends time working for the Tatum family as they eke out an existence on their family farm.

For as much narrative as there is in Book One, it is the remembered conversations with his grandfather and mother that provide the deepest insights into who David is and why he is doing what he does.

The first book ends almost abruptly, and David seemingly disappears from the book as Book Two begins ten-years later. It introduces two new female characters whose lives intersect but have very distinct stories.
Book Two is less descriptive narration and more dialogue and character interaction, and this is where I feel Simonds really shines. Her character development is wonderful. I was pulled into the lives of two young women with very different lives, one black, one white, but both with dreams of something beyond what current society typically allows.

While I had to work a bit in the first half of the novel, the second half was a satisfying reward enough. Stork Bite was a book that snuck up on me quietly. I was not expecting to find myself quite so involved with the characters. In addition, I definitely shed a few tears – several times – as each person’s stories wrapped up. ( )

This was a new author for me and a book that I don't think I'd have picked up on my own. When I saw that it was Southern fiction, I decided to take a chance -- and I am so happy that I did. This novel was a beautifully written look at three main characters and their lives and their families lives from 1913 - 2012. I connected with all of these characters early in the novel (one more than the others) and felt like I knew them to the point that I cried at tragedies in their lives.

David was my favorite character in this book. In 1913, in Louisiana, seventeen year old David was walking to a lake to fish, and was stopped by a man who planned to harm him - David is black and the man he killed was a member of the KKK. David knew that if he was caught, he would be killed and if he went home, his family would be in danger...so he decides to 'disappear'. After he camps for several months, he walks away and finds a small farm in the middle of nowhere. He stays to help on the farm and becomes part of the family.

In 1927 in Shreveport, we meet two women who are totally different. Their only connection is that Cargie works at a dry cleaning store and Mae is the niece of the owner and lives with her aunt and uncle while she goes to college. In some ways they are the same - they both wanted to grow beyond what was expected of them growing up but they both took totally different paths. In this part of the book, we get a look at both women's lives -- Cargie as she works and then is unsure of her life plans when she gets pregnant. She has a very supportive husband who helps make her dream of continuing her job come true. Mae has left her fiancé in a small town and arrived in Shreveport to attend college. After a year, she gets involved with another person who is very different and her life plans totally change. The longer the reader travels in the lives of these characters, the more familiar they become and the more invested we are in their lives.

This is a book about family and redemption, racism and justice.... But most of all it's a story about love. If you enjoy historical fiction mixed with an emotional view of family in transition, you don't want to miss Stork Bite.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )