Crave by Darnella Ford is the story of a lonely soul seeking love and acceptance in all the wrong places.  Michael was never really taught the meaning of true love.  As a child, her only source of true unconditional love was her father Sergio.  Colleen, Michael’s mother was a self-absorbed woman who in polite circles would be considered eccentric and a bit crazy.  She spent most of her marriage and Michael’s childhood seeking constant attention from her husband and perfection that can only be found on a movie screen.  Colleen’s constant nagging and need for perfection eventually drove her husband away from the entire family leaving Michael alone to seek the love she craved but could never find in a dysfunctional household. 

Michael is introduced to sex at a young age by a scene she secretly witnessed between her babysitter and the babysitter’s boyfriend.  She carries away from this event the belief that you can give sexy and receive love in return.  It is this belief that takes her through puberty, straight to an adulthood filled promiscuity, shaky friendships, and bad decisions.  Michael’s pattern of bad decision-making eventually leads her to Eddie, the first man to seemingly know and understand her.  It is in her relationship with Eddie that we see how far Michael is willing to go in her search for the love she craves.

Crave is the tragic but classic story of a woman seeking love in all the wrong places.  However, Darnella Ford has made her version of this classic story stand out from the rest.  Ford’s writing flows like poetry, drawing you into the story from page one.  She takes you into the inner thoughts of our heroine, making Michael real by allowing her to tell this story in her own unique fashion.  Ford also creates a strong cast of supporting characters but keeps them in line with the story by allowing Michael to explain their importance in the story of her life.

I could not put Crave down.  Michael and her search for a love and acceptance captured me from the very beginning.  I understood her loneliness for in my own way I have been there.  I felt her pain and confusion because I could relate it to my own experiences.  I recommend this book to anyone seeking quality writing and a story that touches emotional strings.