To Sing Like a Mockingbird

Fenella Callister

I wasn’t prepared for how thought-provoking this novel would be. On the surface, it has elements of crime and political drama, but at its heart, it’s about conviction and what happens when it collides with reality.

Justin Kopechne is not an easy character. I admired his courage in fighting for juvenile reform, but I also found myself shaking my head at his stubbornness. His personal sacrifices the distance growing in his marriage, the constant friction with his brother felt so real that I sometimes forgot I was reading fiction.

On the other side of the story, the sheriff’s descent into corruption was a sobering counterpoint. His compromises didn’t come out of nowhere; they were gradual, believable, and eerily human. I appreciated how the book never sensationalized cartel involvement but instead showed it as a creeping influence that warped everything around it.

This isn’t a comfortable read, but it’s an important one, and it left me asking myself where my own line in the sand might be.