Bastard Out of Carolina

Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison (1992)

Allison’s debut novel follows the Boatwright family, a group of rural dwelling ne’er-do-wells. The protagonist of the story is Ruth Anne—nicknamed Bone by an uncle—who is the bastard child of Anney, a diner waitress.

Allison’s characters work hard and live hard. The men of the Boatwright clan work dirty jobs in mills and factories by day. By night, they drink, fight, and chase women. Bone’s mother later meets Glen, a coworker and friend of the girl’s uncle Earle. After making her suitor wait for a time, Anney marries Glen.

Bone’s relationship with her stepfather is troubled almost from the start. Daddy Glen begins sexually abusing Bone shortly before his child Anney is to be born. When the mother suffers a miscarriage, an already tenuous situation only gets worse.

Glen’s temper gets him into trouble again and again as he loses jobs following violent altercations in the workplace. The family is forced to move many times and at home, Glen’s abuse of Bone escalates. While Anney doesn’t know about the sexual abuse, she blames the physical abuse of her daughter on Bone herself. Anney leaves Glen a number of times but always comes back, and the cycle begins anew.

Allison’s coming of age story has an authenticity that grabs hold of the reader early on and doesn’t let go until the very end. I was finally glad to read for myself what all of the talk was about. I highly recommend this book to adult readers.

Up High in the Trees

Up High in the Trees, by Kiara Brinkman (2007)

Brinkman’s first book is a account of a family struggling to cope following the death of a mother. The story is told by the mother’s son, eight-year-old Sebastian Lane, who lives with an older brother and sister, and his professor father.

According to some reviewers, Sebby exhibits signs of mild autism or Asperger’s syndrome, which may explain why he seems to be unable to express himself appropriately at times. At the same time, he comes across as uniquely in tune with the emotions of those around him, as well as being obsessed with the details of his mother’s death.

The mother’s death most profoundly affects Sebby and his father, Stephen. Sebby acts out at school and Stephen begins to have trouble managing his new reality. The father takes his son out of school to stay at their summer home, hoping that a change in routine will help both of them, but Stephen only sinks further into depression. Alone in his grief, young Sebby writes letters to his teacher and others to cope as he recalls the close bond he still shares with his mother.

Delivered in short episodes, the book moves seamlessly between past and present and into the corners of the protagonist’s brilliant mind. The author does an excellent job of conveying life from the standpoint of a young boy. The Washington Post’s Ron Charles concludes that “Up High in the Trees is not a novel about autism, a condition that affects nearly 1 percent of us; it's about grief, a condition that affects 100 percent of us at one time or another.” Brinkman’s debut is a moving and compelling story throughout. Highly recommended.

The Memory of Running

The Memory of Running, by Ron McLarty (2004)

When Smithson “Smithy” Ide loses his parents and his older sister during the same week, he knows that his life will never be the same. The protagonist, an obese, chain-smoking, hard-drinking veteran of the war in Vietnam, leaves his Rhode Island home and begins an improbable cross-country journey on his bicycle.

As the long trek begins, McLarty takes the reader back in time. The book continues in a parallel track throughout as the reader learns how Smithy has gotten to his current state. His childhood is defined by his sister’s struggle with schizophrenia and the rest of the family’s need to protect her from herself. The other defining experience for Smithy is his military service, during which he is gravely injured.

On the surface there seems to be no particular reason to root for Smithy, but other than a few youthful indiscretions, McLarty’s main character rarely seems to commit an offense against another. This, coupled with the terrible treatment he often receives from strangers, brings the reader to Smithy’s side.

Not surprisingly, much of Smithy’s journey is about coming to terms with his inability to love another person. In a figurative sense, the protagonist seems to have been running from a romantic relationship out of fear of getting hurt. Will his literal and personal journey allow him to let go of his demons and open up his heart?

McLarty has written a beautiful, epic story that this reviewer devoured in a few short days. Highly recommended for adult readers.