The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

Truly Plaice entered the world the same day her mother left it.  The whole town was placing bets on how much the baby would weigh because her mother's body had been stretched beyond belief, what these people didn't know was that it wasn't only the baby making her body grow, a large tumor was also growing her breast, which would have killed her shortly, if she hadn't died giving birth to an enormous baby. Truly's father blamed her for her mother's death, leaving him alone to raise her and her sister Serena Jane.  Serena was a perfect child, petite and beautiful. Truly continued to grow and grow and while younger than Serena, she was much too big to wear Serena Jane's hand me downs.

Their father died 2 years later and the girl's were split up, Serena Jane went to live a life of privilege with the Reverend and his wife. Truly was sent to live with an outcast family on their rundown farm.  Truly continued to grow, soon the only clothes they could find to fit her were man's farm clothes, big flannel shirts and dungarees.

Serena Jane's beauty turned out to be her biggest blessing, but also a curse, when the youngest of the Robert  Morgans, (the county's doctors for generations) does the unthinkable to claim her as his own.  Serena Jane ends up running away from him several years later and Robert (Bob-Bob) Morgan forces Truly to move into the family home to take care of him and his son.  The real reason he wants Truly there is because he is fascinated by her enormous size and wants to study her and maybe even become famous for determining why she is so big.  His father several years earlier had explained her condition as faulty pituitary gland, that didn't tell her body to stop growing.

While living in the family manor Truly remembers stories she had heard about the family, and soon she discovers the stories were true and she has found something generations before her never could find.  Armed with this new information, Truly needs to make huge decisions on what she should do with it. When she learns of a betrayal so great, she is "forced to face her own larger-than-life demons, redefine mercy and consider the possibility that love cannot be ordered to size."

This story is pure magic, absolutely enchanting!!  It is hard to believe this is Tiffany Bakers debut novel.  She is an excellent storyteller.Truly may have been a giant on the outside, but inside she was filled with such love, compassion and caring, it surpassed her actual size.  Baker has drawn us all into a tale that has everything imaginable, love, death, friendship, secrets, lies, and you will NOT be unable to put it down.

This book has received several wonderful reviews and even made the New York Times Bestseller List.  I hope we see a lot more stories from this author.  I can't wait to read them.  I am honored that she sent me her book to read and review at Dollycas's Thoughts.


Check out http://www.tiffanybaker.com/ to find out more about the author and even send her comments if you have read her book.

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Newman Communications for the author.. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”