South of Reason

Mysteries and jealousies swirl and simmer in the heat of a south Texas summer. The story twists through the pages like a tumbleweed in a hot Texas wind. The child Kayla comes of age ... and to an awareness that things aren't always as they seem. "Mother used religion as a wifely whip," Kayla observes. Meanwhile, neighbor Lou Jean washes her hands compulsively. Families, betrayals, and friendships are never quite as they appear. Balanced by an inherently nice, although spineless father and a wild and rowdy grandmother, Kayla watches as her family life crumbles and transforms, and begins to see things from a different perspective, while the beautiful neighbor next door spirals out of control. And her mother changes into ... what? Full of unexpected twists and turns, the summer Kayla's family moves from Cameron to Rosalita evolves into an ever changing mosaic of emotion. From her depiction of the sticky juice of a ripe peach on a hot day to the portrait of a night of Texas football, Cindy Eppes gives an amazingly brilliant portrayal of a sense of time and place, betrayer and betrayed, and of the heart and soul of a girl coming of age. An amazing entry in the "first book" category. I highly recommend this.

In Kayla, Cindy Eppes has created a young narrator who's smart, sassy, articulate and a joy to be with. The story - not an easy one to pull off - is skillfully crafted and precisely told with humor and warmth, in memorable fashion. I read right though it, and can't wait to see what Ms. Eppes will pull off next.

Although this work is set in a fictitious small, South Texas town which is palpable in its colorful description, the REAL environment is the human mind and soul. That's why it transcends Rosalita. The characters allow us to see how, and why, they feel- in a way that makes the reader understand their own life better, and perhaps why we are drawn to and put off by certain people in our world. The reader will first wonder what drives certain people to behave so badly, others so heroically. When more and more of their driving force is revealed, you quite likely still feel no less good or ill toward that character that you now understand deeply. Doesn't matter if you are in South Texas or the South Bronx - you will enjoy knowing these characters and relating to them. And the ending is like a great live performance... You will be pleased, but wanting just a little more.

For anyone who remembers being conflicted and confused by a mother's irrational behavior, or half in love with someone else's mother, look no further than South of Reason. It's the era of lawn sprinklers and bicycles and marshmallow salads and adolescence without sex, drugs and Britney. Even a stranger to South Texas will feel its heat and dust, its mixed cultures and rituals of food, in Cindy Eppes's wonderful novel. Strong, memorable characters populate the town of Rosalita, and young Kayla Marie's daily life. And characters with pasts, and secrets. Experiencing Kayla's adoration and heartbreak and wonder is a pleasure. Highly recommended.

I love Southern fiction and Eppes's new novel fulfilled all my expectations. South of Reason is the story of Kayla Sanders, 13 years old in 1967 when her parents move back to their hometown of Rosalita in Texas. A secret lurks and simmers in the heat that summer and as the months unfold Kayla is made aware of what it is. Details--of the heat of a Texas summer; of mouth-watering food that comforts; of a small-town life, where everyone knows everyone else and their secrets--are vividly painted with Eppes's skillful use of language, as she takes us through Kayla's life in this summer of madness when everyone seems to be south of reason.