Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite

Some losses divide life into before and after. In Jessica by Richard Friday Greene, Pearce Goode is trying to make sense of his childhood. Growing up, home isn’t always a safe or happy place. His father uses harsh physical punishment, and his mother struggles with problems of her own. Pearce often feels alone and learns early that he has to find ways to cope. As he grows older, friendships, first love, travel, work, marriage, and parenthood gradually change his path. At the center of it all is his daughter, Jessica, whose presence gives new meaning to his past and his future. The novel moves across different periods rather than telling everything in a straight line, with letters to his child connecting Pearce’s memories and reflections. He measures his existence in three distinct stages: Before Jessica, With Jessica, and After Jessica, showing just how deeply being her dad has defined him. Through those experiences, he tries to understand the choices he made, the people he cared about, and the pain he carried with him from being a kid into adulthood. Can looking back help him come to terms with a world forever changed by the person he loved most?

I was first drawn to Jessica by Richard Friday Greene because of its seemingly simple title, but I soon found out it was anything but simple. Pearce really got to me. His sorrow became my sorrow, especially when it came to the abuse he experienced at the hands of his father and the neglect from his mother. The scene where he was beaten so badly that he wet the bed completely gutted me. It’s hard to read about a child being that frightened in his own home, and Greene made that fear painfully real. There were also scenes with happiness, love, and hope, which kept the heavier parts from overwhelming everything else. Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,” and that quote came to mind because so much of Pearce’s journey involves facing memories that have remained with him for years. Greene’s writing is thoughtful and emotional without seeming forced, while the pace gives the important moments enough room to sink in. I also liked the way the plot moves through different stages of Pearce’s life, slowly showing how earlier experiences continue to affect the man and dad he becomes. Anyone who appreciates family stories about grief, childhood trauma, love, and the lasting bonds between parents and kids will find plenty to think about here.