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A review by candacesiegle_greedyreader
The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis
3.0
3.5 stars
"The Barrowfields" is a beautifully written book that gets stuck in its own self. Phillip Lewis is so invested in following in the footsteps of other wonderful North Carolina writers that he forgets to propel the story forward. You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it's a long wait and slow-mo action.
The first part of the novel that deals with the narrator's father, also named Henry, and his obsession with writing. The family tiptoes around him as he writes, drinks, and practices some law. It is creepy dysfunctionality, heightened by the fact that they have bought a large weird house in their small town where murders occurred. Young Henry's take on his father and family is the most compelling part of the novel, because by the time young Henry is off on his own both he and the book become unmoored.
Son Henry is just not as interesting as his dad, and his struggles did not engage me. His mother and sister behave in ways that don't seem to fit with the people we met in part one. The relationship with Story--argh.
Phillip Lewis is a wonderful writer, and that's what kept me reading. I see a someone who will develop in plotting skills and then, boy will he be someone to watch out for!
"The Barrowfields" is a beautifully written book that gets stuck in its own self. Phillip Lewis is so invested in following in the footsteps of other wonderful North Carolina writers that he forgets to propel the story forward. You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it's a long wait and slow-mo action.
The first part of the novel that deals with the narrator's father, also named Henry, and his obsession with writing. The family tiptoes around him as he writes, drinks, and practices some law. It is creepy dysfunctionality, heightened by the fact that they have bought a large weird house in their small town where murders occurred. Young Henry's take on his father and family is the most compelling part of the novel, because by the time young Henry is off on his own both he and the book become unmoored.
Son Henry is just not as interesting as his dad, and his struggles did not engage me. His mother and sister behave in ways that don't seem to fit with the people we met in part one. The relationship with Story--argh.
Phillip Lewis is a wonderful writer, and that's what kept me reading. I see a someone who will develop in plotting skills and then, boy will he be someone to watch out for!