About the Book:

“Now the Edgar Award-winning author returns with his most accomplished and resonant novel so far—an atmospheric drama set in rural Mississippi. In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas “32″ Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county—and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they’ve buried and ignored for decades.”

Book Review:  ★★★★★★

This is a book that I really enjoyed, and really got frustrated with all at the same time.  And before you start wondering if I have developed a split personality or something — perhaps I should say that there are two different story lines running through this book, tied together through the two main characters — Silas and Larry, and their failed friendship.  Because of these two different stories, I had two dramatically different responses to the book.  Both of the stories revolve around Larry, and the mysterious disappearance of two different women — one when he was still in high school, and one in the modern day present.  Following the first disappearance, Larry found himself alienated from the community.  Following the second disappearance, it was naturally assumed that since he was believed to have committed the first kidnapping, he obviously must have committed the second one as well.

The part of this story that deals with the missing Rutherford girl is the part of this book that I really didn’t like.  There was a lot of stereotyping of the characters, which left the reader feeling as if the characterizations were shallow and superficial.  There is very little creativity in relation to the missing girl, and the hick town investigation that is ill equipped for this kind of investigation.  The lead investigator — French — is the big dog in a small town, throwing all the junky responsibilities — such as getting a rattle snake out of a mail box, and traffic duty to the new kid on the block lackey.  The investigation process is dramatically shallow, and poorly developed — which leaves the reader wishing that Franklin would get back to the part of the story that is both moving, and powerful — and just forget about the detective portion of the story entirely.

The back story — told mostly through flashbacks — about the tenuous relationship between Larry and Silas is what redeems this book so completely.  This emotionally charged portion of the story, set in the 70′s and 80′s looks at a fragile relationship that began between a young black boy, and a young white boy — an brought to light the unacknowledged volatility that exists between these two races, deep in the Mississippi south.  This friendship is made up of secrets, animosity, envy, and a desire to belong among two young men that are vastly different.  What makes this back story so powerful is the switch of places in traditional roles from the usual characterizations.  Silas — the popular ball player, who is the center of attention, and Larry — the odd kid on the block that spends most of his time consumed in books, and isolated from his peers.  Add to that the troubling home life of each of these boys — and the story takes a dramatic turn for the better the moment the book returns to this part of the story.

The story between the young Silas and Larry is a moving story that really makes you stop and think about the dangers that exist for those that find themselves isolated, and ostracized from a community.  Our society has particularly troubling memories about those that have found themselves in the same position as Larry, and that is the reason that this part of the story resonates so completely with the reader.  But more than that, this book speaks strongly to the power and importance that a true friendship can play in our lives — especially when we find that we have lost that friendship, and only realize once it is gone, how important ir really was to us.

This book is a strange conglomeration between the very good and the very bad.  But what I found truly intriguing is the way two characters can appear to be so completely stereotypical card board presentations — and deep, moving characters that can so completely make a story all at the same time.  Which is why it is hard to decide if a strongly recommend this book, or not.

Tags: Family, Friendship, Grief, Historical Fiction, Loss, Murder, Mystery, Racism, Suffering, Suspense
Category: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense/Thriller