Heartbreaking while being thought provoking and uplifting
Thank you so much to The Write Reads and E.B. Lee for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary ARC and media kit!
Purchase this book (affiliate link): Amazon
About the Author
E. B. Lee was raised in Weston, CT and enjoyed the best of a then-rural town and easy access to the high-energy world of New York City. She brings together elements of both in her debut work of literary fiction, Clean Sweep, a heartfelt story of human connection, tough choices, and compassion. Prior to writing, Ms. Lee was a flower farmer and worked in the environmental field. She earned a Masters Degree from Yale School of the Environment and undergraduate degree from Yale. E.B. Lee now writes in North Carolina and Connecticut.
Review
Book CWs
For a list of warnings, tropes, and representation for this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com.
Premise
Carli Morris is looking forward to a quiet retirement. Earning billions from the sale of her Madison Avenue ad agency, she dreams of spending her golden years painting and giving back to society. But the heartbreaking discovery of a homeless woman poisoned to death on the streets of Manhattan reopens the wounds of Carli’s own tragic loss.
Realizing her busy career turned her away from the vulnerable, she throws herself on a mission to get the defenseless off the streets. But as she sacrifices her own needs to support others, her new colleague’s mental illness and Carli’s unresolved grief collide in a staggering sequence of events that will alter her life forever.
Can Carli dig deep and make a powerful, personal impact?
Clean Sweep is a dynamic literary novel. If you like moving revelations, gut-wrenching decisions, and life-affirming transformations, then you’ll love E. B. Lee’s enlightening tale.
Review (No Spoilers)
Hi everyone! I signed up for a bunch of tours back-to-back (oops!). Today’s book is an adult literary fiction novel that gives readers a sort of inner look into what it’s like to be homeless. The main character of this novel, Carli, is a volunteer for a place that helps provide for and look after several homeless people in the area. They not only have frequent soup kitchens, but they also do almost daily check-ups and provide medical care when necessary.
The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that it highly emphasized both empathy and respect in regards to those who are less fortunate. Instead of judging homeless people or people with mental illness for their actions or how they look, Carli and her team work to get to know them as human beings while respecting their personal autonomy. They try to get them to find shelters, accept medical help, and overcome addiction, but they never push too hard if the person is not ready or willing to take that step.
On top of the plot about taking care of each of the homeless charges that Carli has, there are also plots revolving around Carli’s missing brother and a possible criminal harming people on the streets. For a book that had a lot of plots going, I felt like it took a while to pick up. I found myself bored for a good portion of the beginning, but once the story finally picked up, it kept my attention much more. I’m not much of a literary fiction reader so this wasn’t really for me, but definitely check this out if you are!
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Jenjenreviews 
Great review Jenny. I’m struggling with it a bit but going to keep powering through! xx
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Good luck!
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