Sarah Addison Allen's The Sugar Queen was a book left in my mailbox at school from a dear friend with a note saying, "To my friend, a 'sweet' little story." And it truly is a sweet story. The Sugar Queen is a fast read, so if you are looking for something to finish over a long weekend, this is your book. We meet Josey Cirrini, plump, predictable, shy, who hides in her closet and eats the mountains of candy she has stored there while reading travel magazines and dreaming of escape. Her life is controlled by her miserable mother, Margaret, who longs for the beauty and life she has lost, or in fact, never completely had. One random day, Della Lee, dangerous and sassy, shows up in her closet to hide from the outside world, looking as if she has just swam through the river to get there. It is Della Lee who takes on the role of Josey's fairy godmother, pushing her to take control of her life and not be afraid to love (in particular, Adam, the blonde mailman whom Josey has been in love with for years and whom she meets at their mailbox daily).
Josey is oppressed by her mother, who at one time was the town beauty but who has seen her beauty fade. Josey's conscience is weighed down by her behavior as a child, and feels as if she owes her mother, and has resigned herself to living with her mother forever. Unfortunately, Margaret will do everything in her power to bring Josey down, even telling her that wearing makeup will make her look cheap and that red does nothing for her color, when in fact, it is fantastic on her. Della Lee begins as a nuisance, pushing Josey to run errands for her and Josey agrees in order to be rid of her. On one of these errands, Josey meets and befriends Chloe, a broken-hearted girl who has the vibrancy that Josey lacks. And through Della Lee, Josey is able to discover the family secrets that have been kept buried by her mother and we see Josey beginning to discover who she truly is as she begins to break out of her mother's steel grip.
I found the ending only slightly predictable but the author was still able to throw a few things at me that caught me off guard. It was heartwarming to see Josey find herself and finally free herself of her mother's negative influence. We learn why Della Lee has chosen to hide out in Josey's closet and the connections our characters share. It is a book full of magic and heartache, with wonderful characters. Allen has a magical way of storytelling and I look forward to reading more books by her.
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