Sonny's House of Spies

Reader reviewed by bookworm9

Thirteen-year-old Sonny is growing up in Alabama in 1954, but its not an easy process. He has to put up with all his crazy relatives, and wonder about what happened to his father. At the age of six, Sonny watched his mother throw a plate of food at Daddy; the next day he was gone and hasnt been heard from since. When Sonny discovers that his mothers friend Martin, a religious donut maker who came into their lives right after Daddys departure, is in touch with Sonnys father, hes determined to unearth the truth. But when he does, at Martys expense, he wishes hed let it be.

This book definitely had its problems. Part three, which took place two years later, seemed unnecessary, as did the brief inclusion of Sonnys girlfriend Nell, which seemed to be trying to make a point which didnt need to be made. Sonnys fathers scandal was one that I didnt see coming, but nothing is really done to understand or deal with it, and the subplot involving Sonnys relationship with the family servant, Mamby, never really meshed with the rest of the book. However, Sonny, as a narrator, kept the book moving and the pages turning, so it was a worthwhile read.