Book Review: Kit & Basie
This is the cover image of Tess Carletta's novel, Kit & Basie.
Hello everyone! Today I wanted to write something a little different as I just finished reading Kit & Basie: Tales from Long Lily, 1 by Tess Carletta. This post contains my honest review of it.
For starters, I began reading it sometime in October 2023. I tried to find the motivation to read non-school books, which you think would be easy since I’m an English major, but no. I hardly have motivation to read what I need to for school assignments. Regardless, I really wanted to read this book, and I was captivated immediately by the characters and imagery.
The setting is the fictional town of Long Lily, Pennsylvania, which is somewhere I could picture myself living. I fantasize about getting out of my college town (which to me, is big) and moving back to a small town with friendly folk to be my neighbors. Kit & Basie definitely fed into my fantasies with the main setting, Wellhead cottage, being complete with a sunflower garden and a huge yard that is home to many bees.
The first few chapters I read drew me in, and I could see the build-up to the big reveal at the end. However, I am impatient. I kept reading and reading, thinking, when is something going to happen? But, the final reveal at the end of the novel, which I will not spoil, is worth the wait. I think Carletta just wanted to make her readers feel how Kit and Basie feel throughout the novel as they wait for something to happen in their own lives, which I think was a fantastic writing choice!
Normally, I hate the build-up to the big reveal because I can predict the ending way, way ahead of time. But in Kit & Basie, the big reveal is not what the reader thinks it will be. I was only able to predict said big reveal after reading a good portion of the book, and even then, I wasn’t 100% sure my prediction would be true. The synopsis on Carletta’s website, linked here told me to expect happily ever after, but the way this book was written had me on the edge of my seat at all times, which is something that is hard to come by these days I feel.
Lastly, I want to add that one of Kit & Basie’s major themes is grief. As someone who has experienced grief from the loss of a loved one, I just want to say how much I related to Basie’s outbursts and harsh decision making, then calming down and going through the memories he had with Della after some time had passed. If you’re experiencing the death of a loved one and it’s still fresh, take some time before reading Kit & Basie.
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Thank you for reading and have a nice day!