Fine storytelling from the mountains

Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Bloodroot will be the second book discussed this summer by the “Literary Lite” reading team as part of the ARLS Adult Summer Reading Program. The discussion is set for June 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hopewell Library.

Amy Greene is a name that may be new to you, due to the fact that this is her debut novel. The bloodroot referred to in the title is a wild plant of the southern Appalachian region which is used in folk remedies, an aspect of their local community that holds a special meaning to a certain family. The novel presents the story of this Tennessee mountain family through four generations and through several voices, culminating in the story of Myra, the wild woods girl, and her doomed love affair with John Odom. Odom, the son of a store owner in town, has a troubled past that tempts him to control what cannot be controlled- a choice with terrible consequences for all involved.

Overall, this improves as it progresses. You may not feel hooked at page fifty, but you will be later on. By the end, I gave it four stars out of five. Bloodroot has many things to say to a reader interested in fiction that explores areas of family dysfunction and cultural change. Wally Lamb is a big fan of the book, for example. That’s understandable, because there is nearly as much suffering in this book as what you would get in a Wally Lamb book!

A subtext of the story is the way in which the greater world and the greater culture are perceived as invading and marginalizing the rural, poor, and relatively uneducated mountain region. The long history of economic conflict in Appalachia recently returned to the front page news as twenty nine coal miners died in a Massey Energy mine in West Virginia, granting additional relevance to Greene’s novel.

Amy Greene does not achieve the writing level of Lee Smith, not yet. The gift for storytelling is there, and her ability to speak in the voice of the character is almost there, but she does not quite have Smith’s gift for irony and humor. It has some of the rough feel of a first effort, but give her time. This tale deserves a readership among people who want something more daring and original than Dan Brown, Danielle Steel, or James Patterson. The basic appeal elements of the story include the local color of the Appalachian region, and the saga of a family that is destroyed, then perhaps granted a second chance at reaching for the future.

What do you think?