Edisto

Although I first bought the current Interrogatory Mood, I wanted to start with his first novel, a classic. The language Mr. Powell uses is magical in that he can evoke the picture of Edisto as accurately as I remember from my visits. I also wanted to take a short diversion from the non-fiction I have been reading. The language he uses is rich and satisfying. And the evocative images he creates thoroughly enrich the story.

This is a funny and sophisticated coming-of-age story. The author has an impressive command of both dialogue and unusual and telling descriptions. Simons is a remarkable, unusual, and alive boy-man. The story sparkles with youthful enthusiasm in spite of its sophistication, and despite its irony never lapses into easy cynicism. Highly recommended.

Padgett Powell has created an unforgettable character in Simons ("...it's pronounced Sim-mons. I'm a rare one-m Simons") Manigault, a 13-year-old smartass whose tenuously divorced parents want different things from him: Dad, in self-exile on Hilton Head, wants him to play baseball; Mom, a college professor the locals call The Dutchess, lets him sweat out a public school career in Edisto during the day and sneak into black roadhouses at night, all to gain "material" to become a writer. Then a mulatto process server arrives looking for the household maid's daughter, and all hell breaks loose. The maid skips and The Dutchess assigns Simons to the process server's temporary male-role-model custody. Read the rest. A great, entertaining, funny romp through the New South. Buy it or be a loser.

Padgett Powell has succeeded where so many other authors have failed... he writes from the point of view of a young boy, Simons Manigault, with ease and skill. Many times, when a story is told from the point of view of a child, it comes off as hokey, even fake. And even if it is good, it can rarely be maintained for an entire full-length novel. Powell can do it. Simons is a classic character, young and naive, yet inquisitive to the world of crazyness around him. I heard somewhere that this might become a movie... please do not! Why ruin a great thing? Funny, poignant, and thoughtful... this book must not be passed over!

"Edisto is a truly remarkable first novel, both as a narrative and in its extrodinary use of lanquage. It reminds one of 'The Catcher In the Rye', but it's better- sharper, funnier, more poignant. - Walker Percy - On the basis of this review alone I decided to give this book a try since I am a great Fan of Percy. I agree with him that it reminds one of "The Catcher in The Rye", but where Holden Caufield is a lost sole in need of salvation, Simons Manigault is a young pillar of sanity in the midst of absurdity. I am a little surprised that Percy finds this book superior to "The Catcher in the Rye" since Simons Manigault shows no signs of seeking salvation or being as confused as Percy's own William Barrett. If you think "The Catcher in the Rye" deserves its reputation as an American Classic, and if you are a Walker Percy fan, then we have similar taste. You will love this book.