Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Refuge centers around the arrival of 15-year-old Gloria on her uncle Jesse's doorstep seeking help navigating an unexpected pregnancy. VanPatten crafts a poignant story about a nontraditional family that is driven by strong character development.
Prose: VanPatten has a clear, even, and nicely propulsive writing style that swiftly establishes the setting, characters, and circumstances. Still, the prose can sometimes come across as on-the-nose and may benefit from moments of greater subtlety over exposition.
Originality: Refuge offers a compelling and timely portrayal of political and social divides, particularly concerning reproductive health.
Character/Execution: Characters form the backbone of Refuge. Readers will strongly empathize with Jesse, still reeling from the loss of his husband, while Gloria's plight is convincingly and sensitively conveyed.
Date Submitted: April 01, 2024
This beautifully told, of-the-moment novel from VanPatten (author of Sometimes You Just Know) finds hope in heartbreak when a pair of tragedies bring together an uncle and niece who unexpectedly find themselves able to help each other heal. Six months after losing his husband, David, to cancer, Jesse Pérez and his son, Matthew, are still learning to carry on. Their doorbell rings late one night, and Jesse’s 15-year-old niece, Gloria, stands on their doorstep, asking for help. She’s been raped, has become pregnant, and has left Texas and her judgemental parents to come to California, where abortion is legal—and, as Jesse tells them, a minor doesn’t need parental permission. “You probably think I’m just a teenager,” she says. “But I know how to research things. I know how to find out about my rights.”VanPatten broaches difficult subjects with respect, empathy, and apparent ease. Jesse has already long been disowned by the same Texas family for being gay, called nothing less than “a disciple of the devil.” VanPatten, a humane and thoughtful writer, makes clear that Gloria and Jesse’s family (and their Everlasting Word Evangelical Church) and that most of the other Texans whom the protagonists must deal with do not at all agree with the extremes of that church or the political decisions that have resulted in Gloria being viewed as criminal.
From page one readers will be drawn into these lives and the warm community surrounding them. VanPatten makes it easy for readers to feel the often-conflicting emotions that come with complicated families. As the Texas family retaliates, Jesse, the only person that Gloria has left, must also consider how every choice will affect his son with autism, including the pressing question of how to move on after David’s death. Through VanPatten’s rich characterization and assured storytelling, readers will be moved by these convincing, relatable characters and how they handle everything thrown their way—and still live to love.
Takeaway: Moving story of facing religious extremism and Texas abortion laws.
Comparable Titles: S.E. Green’s The Family, Laurie Frankel’s This Is How It Always Is.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
