Cosette's Tribe

Recipient of the Laine Cunningham, New Novel Award, presented by The Blotter Magazine, and first place winner for both Best Novel and Mainstream Fiction in the 2013 eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBooks Awards. Phil Jason's top picks for 2012. Leah Griffith delivers a powerful and poignant story in her stunning novel, Cosette's Tribe. Inspired by a photograph of a happy tribe of Indians, young Cosette decides to start a tribe of her own by playing matchmaker for her divorced mother. Unaware of the repercussions her meddling will bring, Cosette triggers a series of dark events, which isolate her from her family, forcing her to deal with the life-shattering consequences of her actions on her own. With an unshakable sense of hope and humor, Cosette navigates through the Hippy culture of the mid-1960s, facing off with life and death, while stumbling upon things both terrifying and beautiful. Amazon FIve Star Review: "Amazing. Beautiful. Tragic. Engrossing... So perfectly written, it draws you in completely - heart and soul. ...Cosette's Tribe instantly became one of my favorite books of all time." Phil Jason, Florida Weekly Reviewer: "This remarkable first novel deals with the sexual abuse of a young girl in a manner that is at once chilling and uplifting. What's chilling is that the girl, Cosette, seems to have no way to escape from her stepfather's perverse needs. What's uplifting is how Cosette doesn't allow this tragic predicament to totally define or overwhelm her. Yes, she is a victim. However, she is much more than that." Goodreads Five Star Review: "The author brilliantly shows us the fear, guilt, bravery, and the growing spirit of young Cosette as she struggles through the troubles she brought upon her family." Barnes & Noble Five Star Review: "Cosette's Tribe is a flat out gem. Even as I write this review, I find myself backspacing and deleting words because I don't feel I'm doing the novel justice... Rarely are my emotions stirred in the way they were after reading this story. Without question, this book deserves a wide audience Inspired by a photograph of a happy tribe of Indians, young Cosette decides to start a tribe of her own by playing matchmaker for her divorced mother in hopes of finding a replacement for her absent father. Unaware of the repercussions her meddling will bring, Cosette triggers a series of dark events, which isolate her from her family, forcing her to deal with the life-shattering consequences of her actions on her own. With an unshakable sense of hope and humor, Cosette navigates through the hippie culture of the mid-1960s, facing off with life and death, while stumbling upon things both terrifying and beautiful. Every little girl wants an adoring father, and nine-year-old Cosette is no different, so when, Ken, a daddy-faced neighbor, befriends Cosette, she believes that Heaven has sent him to be her dad. Fearful of asking her shy mother to meet Ken, Cosette takes the initiative by bringing him home unannounced-remarkably, the two hit it off. But harmle