First off I enjoyed the novel. However I do have some gripes. The book suffers considerably from a lack of commitment to a direction or message. The blurb and prologue lead the reader to think this book is a murder/mystery. Turns out that’s never what it is. The book is actually a coming of age type story with a small bit of commentary on culture in the Old South. However even those concepts aren’t explored to a satisfying conclusion. The way the author shows us the decay of the culture of the Old South was some great stuff. However it’s abandoned with 150 pages left in the book with no real conclusion which is kinda sad. I can’t help but think of what this book could have been. While Gone with the Wind is a novel that glorifies the Old South through the narrative of a coming of age/love story this book could have shown that same culture for what it truly was through the narrative of a coming of age/murder mystery.
by dawgfan19881