Fiction | Book Chatter

Nightwoods
By Charles Frazier
(Random House, Hardcover, 9781400067091, September 2011, 272pp.)

The Short of It:

The looming darkness of this story is unrelenting and wickedly constructed.

The Rest of It:

Set among the Appalachians during the 1960’s, Luce is a women who has literally turned her back on society. Working as a caretaker for an abandoned lodge, Luce takes pleasure in being alone. Her sister is dead and gone, murdered by a brutal man who took the term “got away with murder” to a whole new level. Luce’s life is suddenly complicated by the children that her sister left behind. Delivered to her by a social worker, she is forced to care for them and this proves much more difficult than it sounds. These children are broken, wild creatures that can’t be left alone with chickens or any other living thing. As she works to break down the barriers of communication, she finds that these children, the only remnant that remains of her sister, mean more to her than she is willing to admit and when her sister’s killer comes around for them, her strength is put to the test.

What a lovely little book. Dark, gritty but lovely in the way that only dark, haunting woods can be. I didn’t care for Frazier’s other book, Cold Mountain. In fact, I had a real aversion to it and forced myself to read it because I felt I had to. You know how it is, everyone was talking about and I certainly didn’t want to be left out of the discussion so I forced it down like castor oil. This was not the case with Nightwoods.

In Nightwoods, I was fascinated with these kids. Their wildness and the fact that they witnessed their mother’s death. What a horrible thing for them to have gone through. I was also taken with Bud, the man who killed their mother. He is the epitome of evil but dressed up all nice and pretty with equal doses of charm and swagger. When he decides to go after the kids, because he believes they know where some money is hidden, you know as a reader that he means what he says. His pursuit of them is unsettling as is their perception of what danger is.

Reading this was like being in the woods with all of its deep, dark secrets. It’s a very atmospheric novel and although I would have liked to know a bit more about Luce and her background, I felt as if I knew enough for this story to work for me. As dark as the subject matter is, it’s a good book to read if you want to escape from the day-to-day. It’s suspenseful, but not overly so. If you enjoy luscious, gorgeous prose… you will enjoy it.

Source: Borrowed
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Emily Alone
By Stewart O’Nan
(Penguin (Non-Classics), Paperback, 9780143120490, December 2011, 272pp.)

The Short of It:

A wonderful, poignant follow-up to Wish You Were Here.

The Rest of It:

When I read Wish You Were Here back in March, I expected to love the writing because so many have gushed about O’Nan’s work, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with this family and that is exactly what I did. The surprise here is that they aren’t all that lovable! There is some dysfunction and of course drama with the oldest adult children, but they are painted with a firm brush and so real, I felt as if I could easily pass one of them on the street. Wish had them all sharing a cabin by the lake over summer vacation. Emily Alone is Emily Maxwell, back home, a few years older and well…alone.

This is by far the more challenging of the two to write. It had to be! With the lake as a backdrop in Wish, and all those kids keeping everyone busy, there was a lot to write about and it took time to know each of the characters. In this book, Emily is at home, doing what she does every day which includes talking to her dog Rufus, getting the mail, and reading her book. She frets about her car’s dead battery, going out in the rain and spends her day adding items to a list that continues to remind her that her days are numbered. Although in perfect health, she goes through the year thinking that is may be her last. As an elderly widow, it certainly could be.

Technically, Emily has the company of her sister-in-law Arlene to spend her days with, but Arlene’s health is beginning to show signs of failure and all of their friends are slowly dying off. What Emily lives for, is time with her family. Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays which become even more important to her as the years pass, and this particular year is no exception. She still remembers her husband fondly. His presence is still felt in the house, but Emily knows that soon, she will be with him whether she likes it or not.

As I was reading, I found myself thinking about my own mortality and what family means to me and how so often I go through the day not really feeling any particular way and how the days just run together. Not Emily. For her, as mundane as her day may sound, it all means something to her. Each day has importance and that’s an important reminder for anyone.

How is it that O’Nan can center an entire book around normal, day-to-day activities and still make it thought-provoking, poignant and interesting to read? Seriously, the man amazes me. This is absolutely a “quiet” sort of book. There are no huge plot points to shake things up but there is humor, genuine angst and a fondness for these characters that is surprising as much as it is welcoming.

Emily Alone was a real treat. I have Last Night at the Lobster from the library so I’m sure I will dive into that this weekend.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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