These Women by Ivy Pochoda

In THESE WOMEN, Ivy Pochoda paints a gritty portrait of South Central LA. A serial killer is on the loose but ‘these women’ aren’t heard, aren’t listened to, are dismissed as not mattering. I loved this novel for its voices. Pochoda is a master at elevating what is base and primal, and in some lights ugly, to hollowed ground. She gives true humanity to all her characters. Employing the points of view of various women: prostitutes, dancers, artists, mothers and law enforcement, Pochoda weaves a mystery that not only had me turning the page, but dwelling on lines of prose. Precise, tough, and unyielding, the language illuminated an under-represented and misunderstood sector of the female experience, and in so doing, likened ‘these women’s’ struggles to those of us all.

These Women by Ivy Pochoda