Finished Su 6/25/12
This was the featured book for June 2012 in The Contemporary Book Club at Lincoln Library
What struck me the most about this novel is the vivid depiction of a violent patriarchal society that seems wholly alien to the 21st century. 'American Hillbilly Noir' at its finest, and the book is chock full of wonderful conversational flourishes and embellishments, yet the plot can be boiled down to just two words- "Where's Dad"?
A young girl tries to locate her missing father to make sure that he goes to court, or they could lose the family homestead to the bail-bondsman. Her father is a major player in a notorious family of 'meth cookers' who operate in the remote hinterlands of Missouri. And, Ree Dolly must question denizens of a demimode that seem to have been plucked straight out of the Dark Ages.
The book is electric from start to finish, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Ree Dolly- Main character; father- Jessup; Sonny and Harold- Her two younger brothers, Sonny is eighteen months older; Connie- Her mom who suffers from mental problems and stays sedated.
Uncle Teardrop- Jessup's brother, and he helps Ree, but very violent and addicted to meth.
Gail Lockrum- 'Sweet Pea', Ree's friend and she helps, lets her use her truck. Gail is married to Floyd. His family will receive the benefit of the sale of woodlands (Bromont Timber), if she loses everything if Jessup doesn't show.
Blonde Milton/Stump Milton- These two characters are related. Blonde lives across the way from Ree, and Stump is the patriarch of the clan, and very violent and dangerous.
She proves that Jessup did not avoid the trial, but was murdered. Stump Milton's women take her to a frozen pond where she chainsaws his hands to offer as proof of death. Officer Baskin delivers the good news, and Ree gets a bag of money that was unclaimed from the bailbondsman.
"Wheels"- the last word of the novel. This is what she tells Harold and Sonny that they will do with the extra cash.
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