REVIEW: In Polite Company

 Happy Publication Day!

Simons (pronounced Simmons) grew up in Charleston, SC, with a family name that put her in the center of a high society bound by long-standing and complicated rules. She is torn between her love of her culture and traditions, and her social justice conscience. She adores her dying grandmother, who holds a secret that Simons may never uncover.

Parts of this debut novel are written almost like an instruction manual for outsiders - “people from Off” - to understand the inner workings of Charleston aristocracy. It’s fascinating and unsettling.

What makes the novel engaging is watching Simons navigate her familiar world and figure out her place within it, as well as her place outside of it. She is sometimes a little misguided, but what drives her is the desire to make her own rules.

 

In Polite Company
Gervais Hagerty

Published August 17th 2021 by William Morrow Paperbacks

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