In Playing God, Mary Ellis Walker travels down the coast to North Carolina after her grandmother’s unexpected death, searching for a family that may not even exist and leaving behind her best friend, Stacy Foster. As she travels farther and farther from home, Mary Ellis learns that sometimes you cannot seize your own destiny, while Stacy finds that sometimes the only person you have the power to change is yourself.
Playing God is apparently Collins’s debut novel, which is remarkable since this novel is very mature. The character development is excellent, especially that of the protagonist, Mary Ellis. It was a page-turner that I found difficult to put down. I will never taste the flavor grape the same again!