The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee is about a young woman, Jo Kuan, trying to make a living in Atlanta. Seventeen-year-old Jo worked with an industrious hatmaker before she was fired for being Asian. Desperate for a way to earn a living, she takes a position as a lady’s maid for an abusive daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the city. By night, she moonlights as an anonymous author of the “Miss Sweetie” newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady.
Jo is surprised when her column gains traction but she is also afraid that people would be up in arms if they found out the true author behind the column. She decides to use her column to pass on her ideas about race and gender. While some people appreciate her candor, Jo has made some powerful enemies that will stop at nothing to find out her identity.
While Jo is trying to keep her day job while keeping her identity secret, she discovers a letter that changes her entire life. The letter hints at the identity of her parents whom she has never known. They had abandoned her as a baby. Will Jo risk everything to find out the truth behind her birth?
I picked up this novel because I thought the cover looked interesting. The book started off a bit slow and it took a while before it picked up. I didn’t like the way the author wrote and it took some getting used to. I did like reading the Miss Sweetie parts of the book. I thought they were clever and well done. I thought the book was an okay read and I would be open to reading more books by the author.
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