Roxa: Voices of the Culver Family

(This review is for the Oprah Book Club recommendations) I can't believe that more people haven't read this book, but it could be because it is published by a small press, BOA Editions. Patrick won the 1990 Great Lakes Colleges Association Award for this moving first novel, the year after Jane Hamilton won the same award for "The Book of Ruth," a previous Oprah Book Club selection. "Roxa" is the story of the Culver family, set in mid-19th century, upstate New York. Their powerful story is told in the intense, passionate voices of each of the seven members of the Culver family and combines monologues, newspaper excerpts, journal entries, and poetry. In the midst of their day-to-day farmlife experiences, each of the Culvers painfully grapples with their interior struggles and personal tragedies, under the shadow of the Millenialist beliefs which were dominating their remote rural town. Although all of the Culvers' stories are richly told, Amelia Culver's coming-of-age really resonated for me. James Dickey is quoted on the back of the book: "Roxa is a daring, go-for-broke experiment that works." For readers who like their books to touch their hearts and spirits, "Roxa" is a must!