Kensington Books, April 26, 2016.
Four Stars
It is 1969 in Nameless, Kentucky. Poverty and
hardship are standard, as poor families struggle to survive in the
Appalachians. RubyLyn was orphaned at the age of five – now, at sixteen, she
lives with her extremely religious and physically abusive uncle Gunnar. While
Gunnar punishes her severely for actions that he deems are not “Godpretty,”
RubyLyn dreams of a bigger, better life.
RubyLyn has one skill that might take her beyond the
borders of Nameless – she is a talented artist, creating prophetic drawings on
her paper fortune tellers, which she then sells or gives away to others. She
draws what she feels, and more often than not, her images come true. The locals
call it “granny magic” and they expect her to remain in the small community to
help people with births, deaths and other matters. She is proved correct at
least once when she predicts the results of her young neighbour’s pregnancy.
However, this somewhat magical plot thread is abandoned towards the end of the
novel, which was disappointing.
Another theme, however, was handled very well – the relationship
between Gunnar and RubyLynn and their black tenants. Rainey and his mother live
on Gunnar’s property, and he and RubyLynn grew up together – now that they are
getting older, their feelings have gone beyond friendship. However, to survive
in such a racially prejudiced community as Nameless, their new love must be
hidden in the shadows of the tobacco field. The two work the field together, as
they come of age and struggle between childhood and adult emotions.
Rainey soon realizes that the will have no future in
Nameless, so he signs himself up to serve in the Vietnam War. Before this point
in the novel, the community was isolated from the outside world – suddenly,
modern events intrude on RubyLynn’s life. The war, the moon landing, Kennedy’s assassination
– all of these are mentioned, yet they are not important to the people of
Nameless, for whom surviving day to day life is all that matters.
The lives of Appalachian women especially were
difficult in the 1960s, and this novel shows repeatedly that they had very
limited options. They faced the oppression of physical and mental abuse, as
well as having their babies taken away and sold in exchange for food and land.
However, even against this dark backdrop, there are moments of tenderness and
compassion. RubyLynn cares for the daughter of her neighbour, giving up her own
food to buy the girl a pretty hair ribbon – the one nice thing in her hard
little life. Meanwhile, RubyLynn herself
is nurtured by Rose, an independent woman in the community, who teaches RubyLynn
that she too can become much more than a beaten down farm wife.
Gunnar’s cruelty towards RubyLynn stems from his religious
beliefs – he wants to instill strong morals in his niece. Later we learn that
this is mostly because he wants her to avoid his own mistakes, but he is too
harsh and as a result, she rebels. RubyLynn’s strength of conviction over the
course of one summer, as covered in this novel, is what truly makes this story
great. The writing is smooth and seamless, filled with the dust and dirt of an
Appalachian summer. This was a difficult novel, told in a beautiful way.
I received this novel from Kensington Books and NetGalley
in exchange for an honest review.
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