Written as a
stream-of-consciousness narrative from the viewpoint of a child, this book is
an unrelentingly dreary view of the world of the very poor. Rory Dawn is the
daughter of an alcoholic mother, and a gambling addict grandmother, both of
whom made too many mistakes with too many men, and never found a way to lift
themselves out of poverty.
They each made the
same mistakes of their own mothers, and the reader is never given a glimmer of
hope that Rory Dawn will be any different. She is gifted, but her teachers give
up on her; her mother was dyslexic, but found a way to go to college, then blew
it when she was arrested for marijuana possession.
And so the cycle
continues. We’re all familiar with the stories of those who somehow made it
out, but those who don’t are often hidden from us. If you want them to stay
hidden, don’t read this book.
289 pages
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