Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

Just happened upon some sassy Southern prose. Reading this for school and had to share a passage. The narrator is a young girl who is forced to redefine her notion of family as the novel progresses. You can hear Faulkner in it:

"Oh but I do remember when I was scared. Everything was so wrong like somebody had knocked something loose and my family was shaking itself to death. Some wild ride broke and the one in charge strolled off and let us spin and shake and fly off the rail. And they both died tired of the wild crazy spinning and wore out and sick. Now you tell me if that is not a fine style to die in. She sick and he drunk with the moving. They finally gave in to the motion and let the wind take them from here to there" (2).

I am 3/4s of the way through and would give this two thumbs way up. Anyone read anything else by her? Is it all this good?


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read the next two books of hers, as I recall, because I liked Ellen Foster so much. They didn't quite hold up for me. But this was all a long time ago, and I don't remember much more.

albw said...

aw-have you really never read any other kaye gibbons novels? i love her! you must read divining women and charms for the easy life.