Waiting for April

Scott Morris' novel interested me from the very start with its attention to the interplay of all "classes" -- upper, lower, trucker, not -- in small-town southern families. The is certainly not what the book is about, but it's worth mentioning. Mr. Morris refuses to categorize or go in for trite phrasing and assumption. For instance, the main character, Roy, can prefer the warmth of his aunt and uncle's trailer (over the often cavernous feel of his mother's house) AND subscribe to the New Yorker. Too often I get the feeling that in the attempt to rid Southern fiction of traditional mint & julips-porch romance, writers forget about the complexity of characters inhabiting both/either the "low South" and the new Volvos. Also, the writing in this book is TRULY exquisite.

Even if Scott Morris's story was a dud (which it definitely is NOT), the writing here is so exquisite that it's a pure joy to read. I found myself going back over phrases, sentences, and paragraphs many times, just to enjoy the lyricism of the narrative. There's a literary quality to this work that is rather rare in today's flood of books. Beautifully written with a finely-crafted story. Highly recommended.

I read through the roughly 350 pages of this book in short order. You almost can't help it.The book is filled with mystery, humor, great characters and first-rate dialogue. I am still chewing on the message, but there's plenty of substance.Don't let this book sneak under your radar.

For those of us who finished Mr. Morris's first novel (The Total View of Taftly) with great anticipation of things to come, our patience has been rewarded. Although "April" is not as raucous as "Taftly", it is far more developed... a crystallization of themes only sketched (however artfully) in that novella's pages. Morris has moved from the limitations of that genre's "fiction at a sprint" and has given us a unique study of the traditional, whacked-out Southern family. And unlike "Taftly"... which was all about Taftly, Morris has done the work to not only fully develop a range of central and supporting characters here, but to weave their interactions into a story that is organic - full and true. Within the mystery of Royce Collier's own family history is an almost worshipful study of the Southern woman... the combination of grace and grit that makes her (whether mother, daughter, girlfriend... or aunt) the foundation of a society that is all about its foundation. His description of Roy's dear aunt April is an exegesis of the fact that the influence of a beautiful (and truly cool) southern woman cannot be overstated. It is quite understandable that the novel has been very favorably reviewed in media as varied as the Wall Street Journal and Seventeen magazine - as it weds the startlingly poetic language that made Morris's first novel such a joy with a compelling (and ultimately uplifting) story that rivals any of the day's stylistically inferior best sellers. Buy it, read it, and hold on to it. This one pays dividends on the hot tip that his first novel has proven to be... Thankfully, as I am sure that the copy of "The Total View of Taftly" on my shelf is now the best performing investment I have made over the last two years.

This striking, confident novel features a mysterious stranger, an unsolved murder, and a hilarious and moving love-trangle that gently parodies Faulkner by way of Vladimir Nabokov. The hero, Roy, is a charmed golden boy who harbors a life-long crush on his gloriously irresistible aunt, the April of the title. Roy's also star half-back on the local high-school football team and a serious fishing enthusiast. He narrates his story in a voice that is both firm and liltingly elegant, a mode that suits this aborbing story of brutal violence and gossamer tenderness. Lots of funny bits, too. Highly recommended.