: The book tackles heavy subjects including sexual assault, the lack of judicial justice, racial tension, motherhood, and the resilience required to survive in a patriarchal community. Book Details
: The novel is told through alternating points of view, focusing almost exclusively on the female characters' internal lives. Notably, the author chooses to convey all male dialogue through the memories and perspectives of the women.
: Odessa, Texas, February 1976. The town is on the verge of a massive oil boom, which brings prosperity to men but heightened fear and violence for the women.