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Back Roads |
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 Back Roads byTawni O'Dell Penguin Putnam 338 pages, 1999 ISBN 0670887609 Reviewed by Nancy Duncan Mix youthful confusion burdened with murder, unbridled sex and anger - and you have the sometimes funny heartbreaking story of 20 year old Harley Altmyer, the pivotal hero of this thought-provoking tale behind Back Roads. "All those times me and Skip tried to kill his little brother, Donny, were just for fun," first time novelist, Tawni O'Dell begins. Harley Altmyer has by virtue of default, become the man of the house since his mother went to jail for killing his abusive father. To make life worse, Harley struggles with his sixteen-year old sister’s penchant for dangerous sex while Harley reluctantly remains celibate. Scanning the pages of Victoria's Secret, Harley can't stop thinking about his very married neighbor, Callie Mercer, his youngest sister’s babysitter. To make matters worse, Harley must cope with twelve year old Misty's departure into a world of silence. With the help of his psychiatrist, visits to his imprisoned mother, and self-examination, Harley slowly becomes aware of his own foibles. As he begins to unearth the dysfunctional family nightmare of buried secrets, deceit, lies, and incestuous longings, he finds the truth behind his father's murder isn't as obvious as he was led to believe. O'Dell weaves a complex tale of Harley's lost innocence and stifled desires. At the same time she slowly reveals the tragedy of a crumbling family torn apart by what appears to be justified murder. O'Dell is able to grasp male angst with flare and finesse. She manages to hold the reader’s attention - unraveling the emotional turmoil while carefully dissecting the Altmyer family and exposing the motives behind the murder of Harley's father. If there was a flaw with Back Roads, it was in the final pages which felt rushed, as though the author had grown weary of the tale. However, O'Dell does have a keen eye for character and is a skilled novelist who leaves the reader eagerly anticipating her next novel. She has written a compelling tale that is an absorbing, fast- paced page turner. She is definitely a talent to watch. |
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