|
Novel of a family's harsh desert life flawed, powerful |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Sandy Bauers, MCT
|
|
Tuesday, 22 May 2007 |
|
|
|
|
 The odd thing about the title of Aryn Kyle's much-anticipated debut novel, "The God of Animals," is that there doesn't seem to be a god of animals.
At least not a kind one, and at least not on the Colorado desert ranch where 12-year-old Alice Winston and her troubled family try to eke out a living and prop up their multiple layers of falsehoods, half-truths and secrets.
It's a harsh, sometimes savage book. People lie, they cheat, they beat horses. A schoolgirl drowns.
Alice herself is a loner who spends her evenings mucking out the stalls.
Alice's sister, at age 17, eloped with a rodeo cowboy. Her father is uncommunicative, almost abusive, encouraging Alice to lie and, at one point, leaving marks on her neck, where he has grabbed her in anger.
And Alice's mother? The least-believable character, she has confined herself to her bedroom — watching television with the sound turned off — ever since Alice was born 12 years ago. She doesn't go outside; she doesn't even come downstairs, except when the grandparents visit and the family wants to appear normal.
Alice tells those who ask that her mother is "tired," that she has cancer, or that she was killed in a boating accident.
How can this be? How could the mental welfare of such a woman be so completely ignored? How could no one see how it might affect her daughter? Even poor families have some access to psychological care. At the very least, in such a small town as this, wouldn't neighbors or churches or school officials take note and attempt to intervene?
This anomaly bothered me and kept pricking at the novel's credibility.
Nevertheless, it was a powerful experience — probably more so on the audio version, recorded by Simon & Schuster, with Broadway actress Lily Rabe narrating.
The recording is available in a multitude of formats, evidence of the publisher's belief that "The God of Animals" will be a big title. Simon & Schuster offers it both abridged (6 hours) and unabridged (11.5 hours), both on CD and as a downloadable "eAudio." (Prices range from $17.95 to $39.95.) Recorded Books offers the same recording, unabridged, on cassette, on CD and as a rental.
Hearing something instead of reading it — especially something as raw and discomfiting as parts of this novel — escalates the emotion for me.
It's equally powerful to listen to Kyle's intense and vivid writing, rich with detail. Characters pause to lick lemonade off their fingers or take a sip of beer or shoot a sidelong glance during conversations. I could almost taste the dust and feel the rain.
The novel marks a debut for narrator Rabe as well as Kyle. I'm unaware of any other books she has narrated, with the exception of a bit part in "Many Ways to Say I Love You: Wisdom for Parents and Children from Mister Rogers."
The story is told in Alice's young voice, and Rabe is utterly convincing. She conveys youth and a waning innocence without making Alice seem too precocious. She's a master at transmitting Alice's confusion, sorrow, loneliness and desperation. And, finally, her anger.
The novel grew from Kyle's 2004 short story, "Foaling Season," which won a national magazine award. She thought she was finished with the family, but Alice haunted her imagination. Like so many authors of powerful books, she let the character dictate the novel, writing it to find out what would happen to Alice as time passed.
The amazing thing about the Winstons is that through all the ugliness, the characters continue to love one another, even as they continue to hurt one another — sometimes on purpose.
Alice, who takes to calling an equally isolated English teacher every night for long philosophic conversations, wonders what love is, and how you know when you're in love.
Kyle's book is an eloquent answer.
___
Sandy Bauers:
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
| Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
