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A review by billymac1962
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
5.0
I didn't sleep well last night.
It was one of the very rare occurrences where I finish a book in bed without another one to pick up right away. You see, I hate being between books. When I finish one, I immediately choose another and begin it right away. But last night was an anomaly. Just the way things worked out.
So. Turning out the light immediately after finishing this left me
thinking about the whole thing for much of the night. I kept going over what it was that Franklin did that made me care for these characters so much. He has an understated style of writing, but what was there really resonated.
Larry Ott. Oh man. How I felt for this guy. A boy after my own heart, lonely but finding refuge in Stephen King's novels. In adulthood, a man who is ostracized by an entire town amid suspicions that he killed a girl 25 years ago.
Now, another girl is missing, and "Scary Larry" is, of course, suspected.
Did he or didn't he?
The story moves along in present day, and also flashing back to the past (a formula I never tire of), and explores life in small town Mississippi, and Larry's friendship with a Silas (a dirt-poor black boy). I was totally immersed. Part of the reason I didn't have another book ready to read after this one is because this is the only book that mattered while I was reading it.
I've noticed some reviewers have made comparisons to To Kill a Mockingbird, which is inevitable given the Mississippi setting and race relations. A pretty high standard there, but I feel it's warranted.
I wish I had the eloquence to describe how Franklin touched on life in Mississippi and how human kindness struggles to rise to the surface, and does it, really?
Gosh, I loved being into this story and I'm so sorry it's over. I'm still thinking about it and I'm having a tough time selecting the next book to read.
Any book that keeps buzzing in my head like this did deserves the highest rating.
It was one of the very rare occurrences where I finish a book in bed without another one to pick up right away. You see, I hate being between books. When I finish one, I immediately choose another and begin it right away. But last night was an anomaly. Just the way things worked out.
So. Turning out the light immediately after finishing this left me
thinking about the whole thing for much of the night. I kept going over what it was that Franklin did that made me care for these characters so much. He has an understated style of writing, but what was there really resonated.
Larry Ott. Oh man. How I felt for this guy. A boy after my own heart, lonely but finding refuge in Stephen King's novels. In adulthood, a man who is ostracized by an entire town amid suspicions that he killed a girl 25 years ago.
Now, another girl is missing, and "Scary Larry" is, of course, suspected.
Did he or didn't he?
The story moves along in present day, and also flashing back to the past (a formula I never tire of), and explores life in small town Mississippi, and Larry's friendship with a Silas (a dirt-poor black boy). I was totally immersed. Part of the reason I didn't have another book ready to read after this one is because this is the only book that mattered while I was reading it.
I've noticed some reviewers have made comparisons to To Kill a Mockingbird, which is inevitable given the Mississippi setting and race relations. A pretty high standard there, but I feel it's warranted.
I wish I had the eloquence to describe how Franklin touched on life in Mississippi and how human kindness struggles to rise to the surface, and does it, really?
Gosh, I loved being into this story and I'm so sorry it's over. I'm still thinking about it and I'm having a tough time selecting the next book to read.
Any book that keeps buzzing in my head like this did deserves the highest rating.