Book Review: Rush

Author: Lisa Patton

Publication Date: August 21, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Set in modern day Oxford, Mississippi, on the Ole Miss campus, bestselling author Lisa Patton’s RUSH is a story about women―from both ends of the social ladder―discovering their voices and their empowerment.

Cali Watkins possesses all the qualities sororities are looking for in a potential new member. She’s kind and intelligent, makes friends easily, even plans to someday run for governor. But her resume lacks a vital ingredient. Pedigree. Without family money Cali's chances of sorority membership are already thin, but she has an even bigger problem. If anyone discovers the dark family secrets she's hiding, she’ll be dropped from Rush in an instant.

When Lilith Whitmore, the well-heeled House Corp President of Alpha Delta Beta, one of the premiere sororities on campus, appoints recent empty-nester Wilda to the Rush Advisory Board, Wilda can hardly believe her luck. What’s more, Lilith suggests their daughters, both incoming freshman, room together. What Wilda doesn’t know is that it's all part of Lilith’s plan to ensure her own daughter receives an Alpha Delt bid―no matter what.

For twenty-five years, Miss Pearl―as her “babies” like to call her―has been housekeeper and a second mother to the Alpha Delt girls, even though it reminds her of a painful part of her past she’ll never forget. When an opportunity for promotion arises, it seems a natural fit. But Lilith Whitmore slams her Prada heel down fast, crushing Miss Pearl’s hopes of a better future. When Wilda and the girls find out, they devise a plan destined to change Alpha Delta Beta―and maybe the entire Greek system―forever.

Achingly poignant, yet laugh-out-loud funny, RUSH takes a sharp nuanced look at a centuries-old tradition while exploring the complex, intimate relationships between mothers and daughters and female friends. Brimming with heart and hope for a better tomorrow, RUSH is an uplifting novel universal to us all.

This latest novel by Lisa Patton is told in alternating viewpoints from the perspective of three different women. A young girl, hoping to be a new pledge for a sorority on campus, named Cali. A mother, who wants to ensure her daughter has a good chance at being an Alpha Delt pledge, named Wilda. And finally, Miss Pearl, the housekeeper for the Alpha Delt house who treats all the sorority sisters like her own “babies”. 

Miss Pearl, being a woman of color, gets the lower end of the stick and is mistreated by some pretentious characters in this novel. I want to go ahead and voice that upfront because even though this novel is set in modern day, this story just goes to show how prevalent racism still is, especially in the minds of some of the southern elites. Miss Pearl’s character is charming and genuine and I loved her interactions with the girls. She helps them get to bed on nights they have been “over served” and is a shoulder to cry on when they are down and out. Because of Miss Pearl and her interactions with others in this novel, I had The Help vibes and I loved being back in that southern setting.

Cali is another character that I want to focus on because she was a young girl coming from a not so well-off family into a world of glam and glitz and southern royalty. Cali’s characters continually tries to find her way and fit in in a world where she definitely does not belong. She is smart, works hard, and loves her grandparents, but she is not used to the opulence and wealth that other characters around her are accustomed to. I loved watching her progress and interact with others. It was important to her to stay true to herself.

The southern setting, the dialects used, and the interactions among characters are completely realistic and true to reality. Lisa Patton’s writing is smooth, easy to follow, and engaging. It feels like you have sat down to listen to a friend telling you a story. The story progresses quickly and the chapters are short, which is always a plus for me. There were parts where I thought things could have been cut out and I did feel that the novel could have been shorter than the 416 pages, but I enjoyed following each of these women and seeing what they learned and how they each overcame their struggles and found their true selves.

“Well, take your junkie butt and get on outta here, then.”

The smell of catfish frying wafts from the kitchen into the dining room, setting my taste buds on fire.

Let me start by getting something out of the way. I am one of those women who compares herself to others. Yes, I’m well aware of what healthy people think about that, and I agree, it’s exhausting.

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review***