Bastard Out of Carolina

What a book. It started out slowly. The plot was almost not there. Bastard Out of Carolina is more about the characters than a big page turning story. Make no mistake though - the page turning is there. The family this story is about is very interesting - simple relationships and yet complex people. It's a glimpse into the lives of a poor rural family in South Carolina. And that's important to keep in mind when you start reading. Expect more character studies than plot.  

The narrator/main character is a little girl they call Bone. She is sexually abused by her step father and while difficult and disturbing as it is, it is a fascinating look into the world of abuse and what the lack of love can do to a person. While the book shows you the common patterns and behavior of abusers and their victims (and the ones who sit by and do nothing), the book is not stale. Dark and disturbing, yes. 

What I appreciated (not liked, not didn't like) about this book is that the reader gets to see Bone's descent into despair. In order to control her life, she turns towards dark things herself. I have never understood how someone turns out to be an abuser after they are abused themselves, but this novel helps bridge the gap for me. While we don't see Bone grow up to abuse anyone, we see her descent into the world of self hatred, not knowing how to love or even how to recognize it.

One thing that the messy-ending-lover in me liked is how we are led to see the person she might become. But the novel ends before we see who she becomes, which is lovely. Perhaps the reader needs the book to be redemptive, thus believing she pulled herself out of her dark downward spiral. Maybe her extended family was able to show her love and therefore save her from the self she might have become. Or maybe the reader is fine with the novel being about how a monster is created by abuse. Maybe the reader is just left with the hatred we feel toward the step father, the anger we feel towards the mother, and the pity we feel for Bone herself. 

I can't say I liked or didn't like this book, which is a first for me. The material of the book is so disturbing it's hard to say that you like the book. I appreciated the book. I appreciated the insight into the world of abuse and hope I never have to go there again.

For anyone who may be interested in reading this book, you must have a strong constitution - it's rated R for graphic details of sexual abuse and one very graphic and disturbing rape scene.