"The Rutherford Girl had been missing for eight days when Larry Ott returned home and found a monster waiting in his house."
[p. 1]
Teaser Synopsis:
In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck
My Thoughts:
- great story building..the author did a fantastic job of creating his characters and showing their growth throughout the story.
- This book has that "atmosphere" of the time and place. I could almost literally feel that hot, wet, humidity of Mississippi. His descriptive writing really shaped the visual in my mind of what the characters looked like, the small town, and the rural background.
- The creepy factor- this book has it. I was never really sure if I should go with my gut feeling in regards to a few characters or if I should go off in the direction that I felt the author was trying to take me.
- little bit of a mystery written cleverly between the pages and was the thread that ran throughout the story. I did figure it out pretty early on but it in no way interfered with my enjoyment of reading. Heck, I think it added to it because I couldn't wait to see what the response would be when a couple of characters have to confront a cold hard truth.
- The slang of the deep south- reading it at first felt a bit stilted, but after saying a few sentences out loud to myself to get the feel of the cadence, I started to get into the rhythm and those pages just started flying!
Recommend? Absolutely...this book takes the reader deep into the heart of the south and exposes you to human frailties, race relations, and how one misjudgment can affect a person's life in such a terrible and sad manner. Silas and Larry's story comes full circle in the end and brings them closer than they ever imagined.
P.S. I will now be using the word "MASH" instead of push. I like it...so mash those buttons and leave me a comment!! (mash is the word used in the south in place of push. Like mash the doorbell...crazy huh? I love it!
Rating: 8/10
Published: 2011Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pages: 272Genre: Southern Fiction on the dark side
ISBN: 9780060594671
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
I liked this one too Staci. A good, quick read!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the book. Am often intrigued by Southern language and customs.
ReplyDeleteI've heard about the author for a while but this is the first book of his I read and I really liked it. Glad you did too!
ReplyDeleteFantastic review! I liked this one too.
ReplyDeleteI am gonna mash you a comment... lol :) This sounds GOOD! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
ReplyDeleteI'm getting ready to start on this one, I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteMash, push, what? I think I would get a bit confused ;) I am certainly not used to the slang
ReplyDeleteI love Southern mysteries and this sounds amazing. the fact that the characters and plot are so well done and work together makes this a book I am sure I would enjoy! Great review.
ReplyDeleteI almost reviewed this today. I liked it a lot too.
ReplyDeleteMash is definitely used in the South in the place of push. Somehow I don't think that will feel like slang to me. I need to read this book soon!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good one. Thanks for the recommendation. I like the way you organize your reviews. Happy Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteI totally don't remember about "mash"! And I feel so dumb reading all these reviews that say "I figured it out early on" - I never suspected a thing! Oh well, it probably made it even better for me! :--)
ReplyDeleteOK, I'm not sure I've ever in my life said "mash" the doorbell. Not sure I've mashed anything except potatos. Lifelong Southern girl here, if you consider Texas the South. It is and it isn't I guess. Partly South, partly Southwest, partly just a "whole other country". LOL
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am a little "long in the tooth" (heard that expression before?), so, maybe it's something new. :-)
OK, I have heard really, really good things about this book. I want to suggest it for my mystery group for later in the year. It's won some awards. And...it's on my list, along with a million others.
Glad you liked it, Staci! I like your genre description: Southern Fiction on the dark side. :)
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what this book was about. Thanks Staci for the wonderful review! I love it when books transport to another place. Time to mash some buttons at work now :)
ReplyDeleteThis has been on my list for ages. A lady from my book club was going to pitch it for this year's list and I was looking forward to it because that means that I'd get to read it for sure. But then she didn't pitch it! So now it's on my "to read" list again.
ReplyDeleteThe mash thing is funny. I work on the university webpages and we have to always keep accessibility in mind, for those readers who are impaired so we can't use words like "click" or "press" all we can use is SELECT. Mash wouldn't fly. LOL.
"mash" sounds like a fun word but I think I'd get confused quite often (not being from the South, the only time I use "mash" is in reference to a potato ...)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this one. Thanks for being on the tour!
I've got the audio version loaded on my ipod... looking forward to it even more now!
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to read this one ever since I heard the title. And even though I knew about it and heard people speak highly of it, your review is the first I've read. Now I can really say it sounds like something I would enjoy. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence on this one. I like Southern fiction and mysteries. It just seems a bit too dark for my "happily-ever-after" book list. Love the new word.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this one so much. I actually had this book checked out from the library but let it go back unread. Now I'm wishing that I hadn't :)
ReplyDeleteThis book has my name written all over it! So glad you enjoyed it! Great review too! Now I'm gonna 'mash' the button and publish this comment!! LOL ;)
ReplyDeleteI was hooked from the excerpt you offered! also, my mil (from Okla) uses mashed all the time. Thanks for joining in!
ReplyDeleteLooks great. And now I know a bit of southern slang :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen quite a few reviews for this one and I definitely need to get my hands on a copy.
ReplyDeleteGreat review...guess I'll be keeping my eye out for this one, too. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteAbout to mash the button now...
I like that too--mashing buttons. Nice Review.
ReplyDeleteHA! I literally just heard the term "mash" in Faithful Place (French)! Isn't that funny when that happens? The setting is Dublin, Ireland.
ReplyDeleteI liked the mashing buttons! Great review!
ReplyDeleteA favorite book for me...I, too, felt the settings and the cadence of the times. Loved that part, and also how the story took me back there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review.
Oh yes - I am familiar with mash as a verb used other than with potatoes. I love the speech of the South. I hail from there but never got to grow up amongst it.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book, I can say no more but that people should read it.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I've heard MASH used is when we 'mash' potatoes lol but hey I'm mashing the buttons and leaving a comment. This sounds like one for me, thanks for great review Staci :)
ReplyDeletei do enjoy southern lit, especially when it has a dark twist! tlc never steers me wrong when i review for them so i'll keep this one on my radar for summer reading!
ReplyDeleteFantastic review, Staci! TBG and I really liked this one too.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really given this book a second thought until your review. You've made it sound so good!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this book a lot; the characters and setting were so well done. The only downside for me was that I felt the ending was a bit too tidy.
ReplyDelete