Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash is the tale of Lacey Bond. When she was a teen, her parents were accused of sexually molesting children at their daycare and from there, her life spirals out of her control. Satanic Panic plus murder plus international fugitive plus love story?  I don't truly know how to describe this book except to say that I could not put it down. 

Is this book over the top crazy? Is each plot point even more bizarre than the next? Maaaybe. But did I sort of see how all of it could potentially happen, so I just went with it. Sure, sure I did. I found it funny, lyrical, and really had a hard time putting it down to go do adulting. Who wants to go to work when there is a book to be read?!

There are also a lot of really hard themes in here - sexual exploitation of minors, psychologists implanting false memories, lesbian and trans rights, the Quebec independence movement are just the tip of the iceberg - so if that's not your thing, let it be known that this book might not be for you. There's also a fair amount of drinking alcohol and a small bit of drug use on page, so that's something you should know, too. 

4.5/5 stars

Lines of note:

During her portion of the sex talk, she listed all the mammalian species known to engage in homosexual behavior: lions, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, bonobos, polecats, wild marmots. I came away from the conversation understanding that while I was just as normal as a wild marmot, I shouldn't talk about it at school because other people wouldn't see it that way. (page 20)

We were steps away from becoming one of those couples who avoid speaking to each other because every single subject is so loaded that even the most basic conversation can result in catastrophe. They never get divorced, those couples. They just gradually lower their standards for an acceptable level of human connection until one of the dies. (page 263)

In terms of genre, I'd always put my life in the bleak drama category, but it occurred to me now that it quite possibly belonged in romance. We were a love story, Gwen and me, the kind that earned free bottles of champagne at cheesy restaurants and powered a weary world's tenderly (desperately) held belief in soul mates. Weren't we sipping one of the rarest French wines in existence? It didn't get more romantic than this. (page 275)

People I looked up:

Pamela Ann Smart (page 68) - An American woman who was found guilty of being an accomplice to first-degree murder, conspiracy to murder, and witness tampering in the death of her husband, Greggory Smart, in 1990. Her accomplice included her underage "boyfriend." 

Caroline Cossey (page 299) - a British model and actress who often worked under the name Tula, which she also used for two memoirs. She appeared in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only as an extra. Following her appearance in the film, she was outed as transgender by British tabloid News of the World. In 1991, she became the first trans woman to pose for Playboy.

Hat mentions (why hats?): 

A small hubbub was brewing at the refreshments table, which held the snacks, the bowl of pink punch, and a stack of untouched party hats Melissa's parents didn't seem to realize were were too old for. (page 20)

"The second you need anything, you let me know, and I'll take my lawyer hat off and put my mom hat on." (page 43)

I didn't see Mrs. Grange's "mom hat" again. (page 45)

...Éclair wore a witch's hat while the cow flew over the moon... (page 59)

 

He tipped an imaginary hat, turned on his heel, and clomped down the steps. (page 103)

Gwen took off her fuzzy hat, then put it back on. (page 252)

My mother shook the snow from her wool hat, then put it back on. (page 348)