A review by tastybourbon
Provinces of Night by William Gay

5.0

For the first few chapters of this book, I was annoyed that dialogue wasn't announced to the reader through the use of quotation marks. I think I was mostly annoyed by the thought that William Gay thought he had some sort of right to be different than almost everyone else. Despite a constant state of sleep deprivation, my brain quickly adjusted to being able to identify what was dialogue versus what was context and description of the setting, etc. The book settled into a lovely little rhythm that had an almost poetic touch to it with an intriguing contrast between the simple words and phrases used by most of the characters and the author's bountiful and vivid vocabulary. At first introduction, I thought I would hate all of the characters...over time this lovable little town of hillbillies grew on me, even the unforgivable ones. I usually hate teenagers facing coming-of-age stories but I think the reader can't help but root for seventeen-year-old Fleming Bloodworth in the hope that he will somehow be able to rise above the violence and pettiness that befalls most of his family members and the other characters of the town that one becomes acquainted with. The second half of the book was one of the most engrossing page-turning experiences of my life. So many things happen to so many different characters. It's as though a tidal wave develops and delivers a force of complex tragedy and irony. When the dust settled, I was left looking at an ugly little ball of hilarious suffering that was somehow beautiful at the same time. If I could just temporarily suspend my typical sarcastic frame of mind, I was also left with the slightest tinge of hope as I closed the book.