Back Roads

Rating:
Summary: Fun With Family Dysfunction.
Review: Back Roads is the quirky tale of Harley Altmeyer, a twenty-year-old, deep-thinking, virgin, Pennsylvania hillbilly who's raising his three young sisters--the oldest of whom is a bit slutty--in his mother's stead, since she's in prison for the murder of her abusive husband. Harley, a neo-classical tortured soul, rectifies his virgin status with an older, drunken, married, hotty neighbor. Then things get weird in this literary soap opera. Very weird. But this is not a Jerry Springer Show script. It is a thoughtful novel.

The book stands out from the pack for several reasons. Tawni O'Dell takes on a daunting and unusual task: female authoring of a male protagonist in first person narrative. And does a good job. The style is colloquial, age-appropriate, and rich with dark wit and understatement. She paints a clear and seemingly accurate picture of Pennsylvania coal country for out-of-state readers. We are drawn into the story not so much out of affection or connection with Harley, but by morbid curiosity. How bad does it get? At several points I thought the dysfunction was over done. But no, real life gets this bad and worse.

I met Tawni O'Dell at a booksigning at the Ruminator (nee Hungry Mind) in St. Paul a few weeks before Back Roads became an Oprah pick. I asked whether she had written other books. Yes, six earlier ones, none of which will ever sell. This fact is illustrative. No one spends the time to write six failed novels and tackle a seventh without a passion for the craft. The product is Back Roads. She's now a polished and courageous writer. Congratulations from Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Rating:
Summary: Not for young readers...
Review: I have worked with Emotionally Disturbed teenagers as an English teacher for 10 years. In that time, I have heard stories of abuse that are so disturbing I thought nothing could shock me. This book shocked me. I didn't know what I was getting into when I picked it up. The back and cover are very misleading. I feel, after reading this, that I know now exactly what Holden Caufield was trying to protect kids from. Many times during reading this book I thought of putting it down and not finishing it. It was written in such a way, though, that I felt compelled to finish it. In fact, I read the last 100 pages in one sitting. I am warning the faint of heart, the weak of stomach, the prudes out there who don't want to hear about things that make people uncomfortable: Don't buy this book. For the rest of you, be open-minded, read it, and think about ways to make this world a better, safer place for those who need it most.

Rating:
Summary: Violation
Review: This recent novel, a novel and Oprah Pick by Tawni O'Dell, gives us a fascinating protaginist in Harley. Harley is a nineteen year old with far too many responsibilities. His father is dead, and his mother in prison for his murder, leaving Harley in charge of his three younger sisters, and working two minimum-wage jobs in a rural Pennsylvania town to support them. Harley is still trying to grow up himself. With state-provided therapy, Harley begins working through his family dynamics, to ultimately bring him to realizations about his life and family, perhaps that he doesn't want to have.

Back Roads is ultimatly a story of violation. Parents violate their children's trust, a teenager violates a neighbor's body, and ultimately there is a violation of the social order and law. This isn't an easy book to read - I often found myself flinching at the violence and darkness in the pages of the book. And, the resolution may be ultimately unbelievable. That said, it is worthwhile book in its look at rural poverty and child abuse.