Book Review: Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

I've been on a quest, of sorts, the past few year: to read each book on Publishing Triangle's 100 Best Lesbian and Gay Novels. So far, I've worked my way through 61 of the books (and 39 from the companion list of the best chosen by site visitors). I don't believe that I've written reviews for them all, but I'm trying my best. Hopefully, this brief review for Bastard Out of Carolina (#29 on the list) will make up for those that I've neglected.

Growing up in the poor part of South Carolina in the 1950s can be hard on anyone. No one understands this better than the Boatwright clan. A family full of hard-drinking men and strong women, they have a reputation around Greenville County for being hard to handle. No one understand this more than little Ruth Anne Boatwright, known simply as Bone to family and friends. She was born a bastard, with the birth certificate to prove it. And she's a tough little TomBoy, much to the delight of her Aunt Raylene and her cousins.

Her mother Anney's been working hard to keep her and her younger sister in food and clothes. Things start to look up when Anney falls for Glen Waddell, and they move in together as a family. But life begins to slowly change for Bone. Daddy Glen starts coming after her in subtle ways, trying to make her fell as if she were the cause of all his problems. She does what she can to stay away from him, which angers him more. When Daddy Glen goes one step too far, Bone take matters into her own hands, with devastating consequences.

At first, Bastard Out of Carolina seems like a standard story of life in 1950s through the eyes of a young girl. We follow along with her as she learns about her family, explores the world of gospel music by befriending a young girl whose family works with the musicians on the road, navigates the social structure of the South, and tries to find her own identity as Ruth Anne. But snaking through the background, Dorothy Allison hints at something darker, a violent, tenuous triangle between Bone, Anney and Daddy Glen that threatens to snap at any moment. That final snapping and its surprising revelations and consequences are what make this more than an average coming-of-age tale.

Bastard Out of Carolina
by Dorothy Allison
Plume/Penguin Group
ISBN: 0-452-26957-1
softcover, 309pp.

purchased book