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phwoarker 's review for:
Nulle part sur la terre
by Michael Farris Smith
The clue was very much in the title and I probably only have myself to blame, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the unremitting bleakness of this book.
Set in a small Mississippi town, it begins with the plight of Maben, tortured and itinerant twenty-something mother of Annalee. After trudging for miles down a highway in searing heat they arrive at an oasis - a grimy truckstop motel. As her young daughter sleeps in rare clean sheets Maben contemplates where she’ll get her next few dollars and considers plying her trade with the truckers. Unfortunately for her, the dodgy Deputy is watching; he throws her into the back of his cruiser and drives her out into the woods, rapes her at gunpoint and tells her to wait for his buddies to arrive. AND THAT IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
My God. This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s really tough to read pretty much all the way through. Other characters arrive and their stories intertwine: Russell the ex-con, returning to his community after a long stint in prison for a crime he never meant to commit (but did anyway); Larry the ball of masculine anger, unable to cope with even the slightest dent to his ego; Detective Boyd who has a tricky crime to solve in his beloved home town but doesn't know who to trust.
Farris Smith is a phenomenally assured writer. From the first paragraph the reader knows they are in safe hands despite the difficult subject matter. Is this an accurate portrait of the American south nowadays? Decaying, poor and angry? I’ve never been there myself but the author is a native of Mississippi and the setting had a ring of authenticity to it.
Overall, I’d recommend this, but only read it if you’re feeling strong.
Set in a small Mississippi town, it begins with the plight of Maben, tortured and itinerant twenty-something mother of Annalee. After trudging for miles down a highway in searing heat they arrive at an oasis - a grimy truckstop motel. As her young daughter sleeps in rare clean sheets Maben contemplates where she’ll get her next few dollars and considers plying her trade with the truckers. Unfortunately for her, the dodgy Deputy is watching; he throws her into the back of his cruiser and drives her out into the woods, rapes her at gunpoint and tells her to wait for his buddies to arrive. AND THAT IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
My God. This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s really tough to read pretty much all the way through. Other characters arrive and their stories intertwine: Russell the ex-con, returning to his community after a long stint in prison for a crime he never meant to commit (but did anyway); Larry the ball of masculine anger, unable to cope with even the slightest dent to his ego; Detective Boyd who has a tricky crime to solve in his beloved home town but doesn't know who to trust.
Farris Smith is a phenomenally assured writer. From the first paragraph the reader knows they are in safe hands despite the difficult subject matter. Is this an accurate portrait of the American south nowadays? Decaying, poor and angry? I’ve never been there myself but the author is a native of Mississippi and the setting had a ring of authenticity to it.
Overall, I’d recommend this, but only read it if you’re feeling strong.