A review by venusenvy
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

I'm so fascinated by the near-total acceptance of Ruth and Idgie's lesbian "marriage" by near everyone in their family and community.  Aside from their initial separation, them being both women seems to be a non-issue, and they are treated nearly the same as any other married couple in Whistle Stop.  This all seems to be part of a larger idea Flagg has in the book that "queer" things can be accepted without ever being discussed, and that contradictions to what is "normal" are, in fact, even more normal.  I see this idea reappear in a much more problematic and troubling instance -- the suggestion that Grady Kilgore can be both a member of the KKK and an accomplice of "Railroad Bill," providing illegal food assistance to the black residents of Troutville.  I don't have a coherent take on this, but to me it seems that Flagg is trying to suggest that there is much lurking beneath the standard idea of southern life.  With her huge cast of characters I'm not sure she achieves the right depth with most to pull this off.  Still, I really cling to this as a favorite love story.  I hope to do some writing and research about the book to get my head around it more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

There are moments of extreme violence against women, black people, and the homeless, and the Southern setting, and 1920s-1980s time period, lead to a use of upsetting language around race. Despite this, the tone of the book remains humorous and the theme of friendship is celebrated. I would argue that the tackling of serious issues is always couched in Flagg's lighthearted writing style and that thus a lightness prevails in the book -- but anyone with sensitivities to these content warnings could be very troubled.