Out Of The Easy - In 1950s New Orleans, Josie wants more than to be the daughter of a prostitute (with a surprise gay character)

Out Of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys

It's 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, 17-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan to get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in a police investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Should she avoid Jesse, the mysterious motorcycle boy? Can she trust Patrick, her best friend at the bookstore where she works? Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in a quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

I spoke with Ruta the summer before her book came out:



It's beautifully written, with characters that stay with you long after you've read their page-turning story. 

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