Father and Son

Perhaps Glen Davis shouldn't have gone back. The authorities should have kept him in prison, he should have started in a more structured work release elsewhere, there are so many alternatives. But, he did go home. And not a day later, he committed a treble homicide of a bar owner, his employee and the bar's mascot monkey. He did a lot more than that before he was through. "Father and Son" is about several paternal pairings: Glen and his father, Virgil. Sheriff Bobby Blanchard and his father Virgil. Getting confused? Glen and the good Sheriff are half brothers---and Sheriff Blanchard is the one born on the 'wrong side of the blankets.' And, of course, Glen and his son David--also born out of wedlock and Glen doesn't want to have anything to do with his son. Glen had originally gone to jail for killing a kid while he was driving drunk. His thoughts--he could handle his whiskey, the parents should have watched the kid. Sheriff Blanchard is trying to solve several murders--including a son killing his father, a homeless father killing a sick son, and then he has a terrible feeling that Glen's killed the bar owner in another county. Meanwhile, Glen's drinking and still wreaking his own special brand of havoc on the community. Jewel, the mother of his son, wants to get married but she's realizing Glen's not a good bet. His aging father wants to have a relationship with his son, but recognizing he spent too much of Glen's formative years in a bottle. Brown's writing is spare and harsh as Mississippi, but in no way impoverished. His tale comes to life with searing economy and is sometimes painfully too real. "Father and Son" is not a story for the faint of heart or the light of mind, but it is a worthwhile addition to the growing collection of Southern fiction.

I had read "Fay" and then "Joe" and then "Father and Son" when I finally did some internet research on Larry Brown and sadly learned that he had passed away. My heart sank at the thought of not being able to expect more to come. I've now read most everything of his available in print and "Father and Son" is my favorite. I also loved "Fay" and "Joe" and "Dirty Work" and it was really interesting to discover Brown's growth as an author throughout, particularly if you pick up some of his short stories. But it's "Father and Son" which brings it all together in the most richly woven southern tapestry of characters so well developed on page that you think they live next door. Read this book!

This guy was the real deal. What a shame: he died at 53 of a heart attack. I think this is one of his best books. It's raw and real and like all great writing, it leaves you a little damaged in the end. Brown will be missed.

Finally I have gotten around to reading Larry Brown. Goodness, goodness: What I've been missing! Father and Son will cause you to gasp and wince as you follow the wretched decisions Glen Davis makes (the main character). The trail of pain he leaves behind will shake you to the core. You love the character but hate the man. You want to scream at him as he scowls through one mistep after another. He is beyond the reach of reason, and his behavior gives new meaning to the words "dysfunction" and "aberration." He is evil and his journey is tragic. How Brown portrays it and makes us care is awe-inspiring: tone offers the incidents in understated, almost casual objectivity; characters emerge bold and beautiful in their sorrow; plot screams forward like a runaway train on a hardened track; descriptions are as sharp as a razor-slice, quick and incisive. I agree with the book-jacket quotation that says, "The model is Faulkner, but his influence has been absorbed and transcended." I raise a glass and toast Larry Brown, and soon I will read his other two books that are hailed so highly here: Joe and Fay (after bracing myself first by throwing down a shot or two).

Larry Brown's Father and Son is a compelling novel, well worth a close reading. Even the title points to psychological depths that perhaps only Faulkner at his best ever mastered. I grew up during this time and in this place. The novel rings true as Memory, though perhaps not as journalism.Brown's narrative revolves around basic archetypal symbols and situations. On the surface, the story is a study of good vs. evil, contrasting two basic types. There is Glen, a murderous, drunken rapist who should have rotted in prison. There is also Bobby, the Sheriff, who works for Justice. During the course of the novel, Brown introduces a host of ancillary characters, lets the reader get a sense of who these characters are, and then drops them completely. This technique perfectly matches the nature of these white trash Mississippi folk during the Summer of Love. During those days, young people were experimenting with hallucinogens as a path to rebellion. These Mississippians share a deep devotion to altering consciousness with those radical youth. Brown chooses archetypal symbols and situations that make a deep impression on the reader. By plunging into our unconscious and shedding light in all directions, Brown works much as a Jungian Analyst does, showing us the reality of what is often dismissed as merely ephemeral. This splendid novel makes a lasting impression even after a first reading. Brown is a Mississippi writer with enough talent to make me want to read only Southern Literature. Although Faulkner's influence is evident on every page, he is his own writer. I look forward to reading more of his work.