Review: The South's Gone Mad!

First off, I officially completed the Southern Reading Challenge 2009 on its very last day! Three books in a week and a half—I'm going to call that an accomplishment. I really enjoyed this challenge, because I loooove me some southern literature. Plus, I loved every book I read for it!

Crazy in Alabama is pretty much the perfect title for Mark Childress' 1993 New York Times Notable novel. You could use any adjective to describe it and you'd be accurate in some regard—hilarious, tragic, bizarre, and most definitely outlandish. It makes for one heck of a unique story.

We follow two alternating stories in this novel, that of Lucille and Peejoe, aunt and nephew. The opening is quite a shocker—Lucille has murdered her husband Chester and cut off his head, which she carries in a Tupperware lettuce bowl, and Peejoe is the only witness to her confession before she leaves town. 

Lucille is a changed woman—thirty-three has lost its old-age feeling once she's free from the shackles of her marriage. She leaves small-town Alabama and heads to California, fueled by a life-long dream of celebrity. Lucille is determined to make it to Los Angeles and star in 'The Beverly Hillbillies' at any cost, no matter what she has to steal or who she has to seduce along the way. She feels free and alive for the first time in her life.

It's 1965 and Industry, Alabama, is deep in racial tension. The law is corrupt, and the federal government is forced to intervene. Peejoe and his older brother Wiley are sent to live with their uncle Dove when their Meemaw takes over Lucille's six children. Dove is the town coroner and undertaker, and by helping out around the funeral home, Peejoe's eyes are opened to the realities of life outside of his. Dove, a man with good morales, gets caught up in fighting for civil rights while still trying to maintain business in a racist town. Peejoe witnesses inequality exemplified through violence and the loss of innocent lives and decides to fight segregation to his full ability. 

You never know where this story is going to turn next. The stories are, for the most part, independent with only the occasional overlap, but they, of course, come together in the end. You meet so many oddball characters, yet with just enough realism that you can empathize with even a husband-killer. Emotions are so strong throughout the story. I wanted to cry at all the horrible things Peejoe witnessed during the fight for integration, but I also had to laugh out loud at Aunt Lucille's off-the-wall logic. The historical setting is very intense, and Childress did an excellent job of presenting two very different sides and, most notably, all the grey areas in between. 

After the initial shock of the beginning wore off, I couldn't get enough of this book. As I was trying to finish the last 50 pages, outside circumstance kept distracting me, and all I wanted to do was finish this book! When I finally did, I looked back and realized what a powerful story it was. It may be a bit quirky and sensational, but it has a very strong message. Definitely a recommended read.

Review: The Mark of Illegitimacy

Dorothy Allison's debut novel was a NY Times Notable Book, a finalist for the 1992 National Book Award, and a National Bestseller. It was adapted to the screen and directed by Anjelica Huston. And it's generally regarded as a great southern novel. Allison claims to tell the story "you may not want to hear," and Bastard Out of Carolina hits that nail on its head. It's a pretty hard story to hear.

In her semi-autobiographical first novel, Allison tells the story of Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright. Bone was an accident and born in one, too, as her fifteen-year-old pregnant mother shot through the windshield during an auto accident and proceeded to give birth to her first daughter. The 'ILLEGITIMATE' slapped across Bone's birth certificate marks her for life, earning her a rightful place with the rest of the Boatwright clan.

The Boatwrights are a somewhat notorious family in their South Carolina town, known for their beer-guzzling, confrontational men and indomitable women. The men cheat on their wives while the wives pretend they don't know, and manhood is defined by how much time you've spent in jail. The rest of the town views them as "trash." They are dysfunctional but loyal, messed up but proud.

When Bone's mother Anney marries Glen (husband number two and still under 21), the real trouble begins. He seems like a nice enough guy at first—deeply in love with Anney, gentle and fatherly towards her two girls. But Glen's devotion to Anney leans more on the obsessive side, and his desire to be on the level of a Boatwright man (mixed with his own "father issues") turns him sour, violent, and cruel. Bone becomes the target of Daddy Glen's jealousy and frustrations that manipulate into physical and sexual abuse. Meanwhile, all Bone wants to do is get OUT.

Allison has created a complex novel here. Anney is torn between her husband and her children; Bone can't decide if she loves or hates her mother. The inner turmoil that these characters feel really shows through on paper. We hear the story through Bone's perspective, and though her understanding may be limited, we immediately see the full picture and understand the environment surrounding Bone. The voice is convincing as a pre-teen, and the dialect is not over-the-top. Though the story takes place in the late fifties, the situations and emotions are so raw and universal that it could be anytime, anywhere.

Bastard Out of Carolina will take you on an intense ride, and it is definitely worth reading.

Review: The Well and the Mine

Fannie Flagg said about Gin Phillips' The Well and the Mine, "When you close the book, you'll miss these characters." And she was right; I didn't want to stop reading! I fell in love with these characters so much that I was sad to leave them as I finished the last page.

Set in rural Alabama (Carbon Hill, to be precise) in 1931, this book is more a snapshot of the era and setting than anything else, but Phillips makes the reader fall in love with the characters who are giving you this picture. The story is told through the Moore family: Albert, Leta, and their children—Virgie, Tess, and Jack. The book opens with Tess, the younger of the two daughters, witnessing a woman throw a baby down their well. From then on, Tess and Virgie are on a mission to find out who the woman was.

But don't get caught up in thinking this story is just a mystery; the baby in well only serves as an overarching motif that runs throughout the book. The real meat of the story is the day-to-day thoughts and actions of the Moore family as we get to know the heart and soul of each of the five characters.

Albert has mined coal all his life. There's not much else to do in Carbon Hill, Alabama—it's what fuels the economy. Leta is his hardworking, yet compassionate wife, and their love is solid, yet subtly displayed. Their eldest daughter, Virgie, has hit adolescence, and though she has a stunning beauty, she is thoughtful and timid. Tess is the outspoken one of the family—a nine-year-old that is always looking for adventure. And Jack is the youngest at seven, a bit ornery but with a positive nature. Families don't get much closer than the Moores, and their loyalty has no end.

Beyond the personalities, there's so much more to the picture painted by Phillips. Race and poverty...these issues are woven into the narrative without being overtly addressed. It gives a realistic enough tone that I feel like I knew how life was in the South during the Depression.

The narrative alternatives perspectives of each of the five family members, and the changes were quick and frequent. Some readers may get annoyed with it, but I loved the way it kept the story moving. I felt like I got to know each character equally as well. I especially loved the purpose of Jack's voice. While the rest of the characters spoke in present-tense, Jack's voice was from the future and more reminiscent. While reading, I found myself desperate to know what was going to happen to all of these characters once the story ended, and Jack appeased my curiosity by letting us know how some things turn out. It's such a subtle change in time perspective that you barely realize it's happening, and I assure you that you'll appreciate it.

This is Gin Phillips' debut novel, and she certainly started strong! It's quite a feat to get Fannie Flagg, reigning Queen of Southern Lit, to write an introduction, and for this novel, it is well deserved. I highly recommend The Well and the Mine, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from this talented author.

Southern Reading 2009 Challenge

The Southern Reading 2009 Challenge is hosted by Maggie over at Maggie Reads. The deal is to read three fiction or non-fiction southern books between May 15th and August 15th, 2009. I'm starting late and only have a couple weeks to read the books, but I saw the word 'southern' and I have to participate in anything related to my homeland. It's too good to pass up!

I've been meaning to post this for a couple weeks, but I wasn't sure if I was going to take on the challenge or not. However, the New York Public Library pulled through and I have possession of all three books I plan on reading. So, now it's time to get down to business by taking a break from Buffy season 2 DVDs (sad)!

My three books are:

1. The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips - I won this as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer, but due to a FedEx mishap, I never actually received it. I wanted to read it, though, and thanks to the library, it's on my list.
   
2. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison - National Book Award finalist...seems worthy of my time.
3. Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress - adding some humor to the mix. I hear it's better than the movie.

Wish me luck!