Visible Spirits

Having grown up in the Deep South, I can attest that even today there is much racism and racial resentment. I have seen it in other places, but I have never lived in another place where it was as much a part of everyday life as drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I wept because so much of this story rang so true, not only to what I knew of history, but also to what I had seen first-hand. Tandy Payne, a gambler with no manners (when we first meet him he tracks mud into his brother's office), returns home since he has no money. When he finds out that his brother Leighton is now the mayor, he hopes that Leighton can use his position to get him a nice job. Despite the fact that the position is already filled, Tandy decides he would like to be the postmaster. He manipulates those around him to kindle (or re-kindle) their racists attitudes and get the black postmistress to resign. As I read, I cried not only for those who were and are the targets of such behavior, but for the perpetrators of it as well. Such ignorance and intolerance is surely a disability and I mourn for those who cannot work past these things to live a life of appreciation for all humanity. I can only hope that we continue to strive to consign such events to history and create a better future.

Set in the racially charged atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Mississippi, Steve Yarbrough's compelling and subtle "Visible Spirits" is a nuanced investigation of the tortured, conflicted relationship between two dissimilar brothers. Secrets, many of them swirling around sexual assault and compulsion, dominate the life of erstwhile Leighton Payne, the conscience-driven mayor and newspaper editor of Loring, a small town which steadfastly refuses to relinquish its past and defiantly adheres to racist principles. Leighton grapples with his family's past, his wife's elusive affections and the sudden reappearance of his reprobate brother, Tandy, whose inability to hold a job is equalled only by his appetite for gambling, deceit and sexual satisfaction. It is not an accident that Leighton uses a cockroach to "author" newspaper columns which admonish the community for its perverse commitments to ignorance, bigotry and hatred. Nor is it an accident that the malevolent Tandy seizes a racist political opportunity to advance his own interests.The central focus of "Visible Spirits" on the seething antagonism between Leighton and Tandy matches the novelist's perceptive inclusion of a series of fully-realized African-American charactes. Loring's postmistress, Loda, proudly discharges her responsibilities, despite confronting the daily pressures of a culture determined to minimize her and the constant awareness of connection to the Payne family. Her husband, Seaborn Jackson, a diligent insurance salesman, symbolizes not only the development of an African-American bourgeoisie, but the inherent fragility of social mobility in the South for any Black who dared tamper with the social rules of Jim Crow. In turn, their lives quietly rotate around the quietly defiant Blueford, whose single act of rebellion ignites a firestorm of racist reprisal."Visible Spirit" gains its intellectual stature from the seemingly insoluble moral problems it dissects. To what degree does a son tolerate or repudiate his father's legacy? How strong are the bonds of brotherhood, and what consequences result from blood ties? What occurs to a man when he discovers he has never fully obtained his wife's affection? What is the cost of racism, both on the victim and the victimizer? What constitutes an act of heroism, an act of resistance, an act of love? Yarbrough is nothing less than brilliant as he steps back from his own writing and permits his characters to wrestle not only with their own lives, but the vexing moral dilemmas they constantly encounter.This talented, spare novel contains exceptional dialogue, vivid atmosphere, deft description of physical environments and absolutely believable characterization. "Visible Spirit" is also subtle and multi-faceted. It is a novel whose pace gradually accelerates and whose conclusion leaves the reader chastened but thankful. Those concerned about the issues of racial justice and historical responsibility will welcome the addition of t

Visible Spirits is a wonderfully well-written novel with strong characters and a great story. It's 1902 in Loring Mississippi. Tandy Payne has returned to his hometown after running out of money to find that his brother Leighton, editor of the local newspaper, has become mayor of the town. Tandy figures he can use his brother's position to get a job so that he can reclaim the family plantation. He decides that the job for him is postmaster because the current postmistress is a black woman, and he believes that the incipient racism in the town, which he incites, will support his quest. She resigns under pressure, but the president gets involved, seeking to reinstate her. The story is not pretty, but the telling is beautiful. Yarbrough is a fine writer, and while some of his characters are pure evil, most are caught somewhere between good and evil. The situation is difficult, with many people caught between doing what is right, and doing what will help them survive. Visible Spirits is a great American story. Enjoy.

VISIBLE SPIRITS is perfect in every way...the writing is strong and polished, the story engaging, the characters compelling and the message dead-on. It's a book about many things--race, brotherhood, finding some measure of balance in life, and there's never a misstep or clumsy moment. A beautiful piece of literature that shouldn't be missed.

I completed Visible Spirits (June 8th- a month to the day after its release). The book held my interest, especially since though fictional it was of personal sentiment for me. Had I not known the real story of the Cox episode, I would have been inclined to believe yours. The way you write is quite convincing. Your ability to cross racial lines via the message in Visible Spirits has me awed in that you were able to focus on and express the goings on in a culture which is so divided as it relates to black and white issues yet, you who grew up on the other side of the tracks- have connected mentally and spiritually. I do hope that those who read your book will walk away with the understanding that our past is a part of our present, and that our destiny lies in the hands of each of us, individually and collectively. A house divided cannot stand...perhaps Visible Spirits has come to heal us and bridge race relations in Mississippi, and the world. Keep writing!!!