Appalachee Red

Andrews successfully and deftly integrates several intertwining narratives and characters into one intricate, yet very accessible narrative. _Appalachee Red_ is at once a novelized study of the complexity of race relations in the South from around the turn of the century until the onset of the Civil Rights Movement. It is constructed around the birth of the child of an affluent white father and his African American maid. The child is eventually sent North to live with the mother's relatives but later returns to the town of his birth as an adult intent on receiving what is due him. As the story unfolds, several larger than life characters appear who are almost Homeric in proportion. Their stories move the narrative in several directions and expand it almost to the breaking point, but Andrews always manages to remain in control. Rather than detract from one another, the narratives complement one another, always reminding the reader of the interconnectedness of our lives. Andrew's knack for storytelling makes this a can't-put-down book. Even amidst the daily violence, fear, injustice, and degradation of southern life for African Americans, his story is uproarously funny but never at the expense or dignity of his subjects; the seriousness of their plight is always upfront. However, not only are African Americans the veritable prisoners of the social system; white Americans, too, find themselves imprisoned by the very system they fight so hard to uphold. The only regret I have about this novel is that it took me so long to find it.

This a great book, if only for the sneaking way Andrews's superb writing sudenly shocks the reader into the realization of what great talent he had. I won't give away any of the story- readers should pick up the book and find out for themselves. I will tell you, though, that what attracted me to Andrews in the first place was the tragic story of his all too short life. I may be suspect for reading a book only because of the interest I had in the author's personality. Does this take away from the work ? Possibly, but authors are intriguing people, and their personal stories can be as compelling as their fiction. Andrews has an elegant style that comes across as almost savage at the same time. This book is populated with a vivid gallery of characters that breath life right of the page. Andrews can take his palce among the canon of great the Southern writers that came befor him- Faulkner, O'Connor- and his living contemporaries like the Great George Garrett. Read and enjoy !