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Title: "He who is penitent is almost innocent."
Review: With this quote from Seneca, author Sheila Bosworth capsulizes the theme of innocence lost and nearly restored in "Almost Innocent," her first novel. Set in New Orleans and evocative of the sights and sounds that any native will recognize, Bosworth's novel traces the process by which the main character, Clay-Lee, attempts to reconstruct her mother's life through stories and memory. In the process of facing herself through her mother's life, Clay-Lee finds redemption for her perceived guilt in her mother's death. Her penitence restores her innocence and allows her to shape her own life and move on. This novel was both entertaining and thought-provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who has ever borne the guilt of a burdensome secret--or who simply wants a taste of New Orleans.
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