I finally got around to reading Walls’ first novel this past weekend. I read it within a day and I couldn’t help but embrace Walls’ rejection of strong female characters. Characterization of the fairer sex can be a bit daunting in books and movies (see this great article by the New Statesman) and we get used to the old stereotypes. The characters of Bean, Liz, and their Mom, Charlotte, all start out being typical “strong females”. But by the end, these women have defied that role and have been vulnerable, scared, incensed, forgotten, and annoyed. The relationship between Charlotte and her daughters is a strained one (to say the least)—yet the power struggle between them is so level that it is hard to tell who’s the mother and who are the daughters. But the fact remains: these women are real. They make mistakes, they sometimes don’t know what to do, and end up living out the consequences of their choices. You’ll end up rooting for them, even when they are completely in the wrong. The Silver Star is available at Acorn.