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Driftless is an unforgettable story of contemporary life in rural America. Words, Wisconsin, home to a few hundred people yet absent from state maps, comes richly to life by way of an extraordinary cast of characters. Among them, a middle-aged couple guards the family farm from the medacious schemes of their milk cooperative; a lifelong invalid finds herself crippled by her resentment of and her affectin for her sister; a wmoan of conflicting impulses and pastor of the local Friends Church stumbles upon an enlightenment she never expected; a cantankerous retiree discovers a cougar living in his haymow, haunting him like a childhood memory; and a former drifter forever alters the ties that bind a community together. At once intimate and funny, wise and generous, Driftless makes the triumphant return of a significant American writer.… (more)
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Welcome to Word, Wisconsin. You won't soon forget it. David Rhodes has written a
Cora and Grahm operate a small dairy farm and, like all small farmers, depend on the honesty of the co-op to sustain their income. Jacob Helm, grieving widower, runs a repair shop that everyone relies on for one thing or another. Olivia, wheelchair bound and her sister Violet Brasso don't often see eye to eye but their love for each other is strong. Gail Shotwell works the night shift at the local plastics factory but aspires to be a songwriter. Rusty Smith, retired farmer and all around hard working grouch, discovers untold happiness when he gives in and allows the Amish to make some home improvements for him and his wife, Maxine. He also discovers he harbored a secret that had taken many years to reveal itself. And Winifred Smith is the pastor of Words Friends of Jesus Church, where most of the characters end up.
All the characters represent the hardest working people you will ever know and Rhodes brilliantly depicts them through the use of beautiful prose that had me busily marking passages like:
"Late had recently become a habitual companion in a more general condition of dread."
And Old Age was carefully preserved in the furniture, the artfully organized clutter on the walls and shelves, and the odor of some prehistoric mold culture ingeniously nurtured to withstand modern antiseptic cleaning methods and modernity itself."
And each of these finely drawn characters experiences an epiphany of one kind or another that changes their life completely. All except July, which makes his importance in the novel even more clarifying.
An absolutely wonderful book with enduring characters and I'm scratching my head wondering how I let it sit on my shelves for over ten years. Thanks so much to Mark for getting me to read it. If you decide to give it a try it would be easy to skip the chapter containing the dog fights which was the only negative passage to me.
Rhodes is also patient enough to paint a picture of rural Wisconsin. His words truly create Words. There are passages like this around every corner:
"Sometimes in the theater of winter, a day will appear with such spectacular mildness that it seems the season can almost be forgiven for all its inappropriate hostility, inconveniences, and even physical assaults. With a balmy sky overhead, melting snow underfoot, and the sounds of creeks running, the bargain made with contrasts doesn't look so bad: to feel warm, one must remember cold; to experience joy, one must have known sorrow." (p. 264).
I highly recommend this one and can't wait to visit Words again.
I was surprised how easily the characters in this book earned my love and respect. I usually need time to bond with characters, choosing long-running series to give me time to let each person become part of me. Driftless, a collection of short vignettes concerning people living in
Each character's crisis and journey is complex but approachable. The literary equivalent of Jason Robert Brown songs, the nature of each person's problem isn't simplified to fit some generic template of a person to make it easier to identify with. I did see myself in these characters, but did so without ceasing to see the character either. I loved that.
I look forward to reading this again in ten years, to see how the older me looks at these lives.
This small farming community has faces familiar to those who have lived in small towns: retired farmers, spinster
Rhodes is good at description, when he wants to, and enjoys unusual words (e.g. "fugacious" on p.55, "empyrean" on p.313). Roadhoppers used for grasshoppers or cicadas is not a word I've heard anyone around here use. Rambarkle seems to be his own made up word for the seeds and plant parts that gather on your socks when hiking cross country.
I'll agree with another reviewer than some of his facts don't ring true: mulberry bushes hiding a hole in a fence (mulberry grows as a tree)(p.335), early settlers mining for gold (p.4).
I wonder to what exent Rhodes' personal experience led to the remark "She would never be like heaven to someone else--only a charitable activity for earning the right to get there." (p.194)
Comparisons have been made
Naturally there were some characters I cared for more than others as the book progressed, and to catch all of the symbolism will require another reading, but the way all of the paths intertwine in the final chapters of the book is simply masterful.
This is my first David Rhodes novel, but if this is any indication of his abilities as a writer I will definitely begin searching for others.
One thing I really didn't understand was the constant confrontational tone between characters: husbands and wives, neighbors, relatives, minister and others. I couldn't understand the underlying tone of mistrust in everyone; I experienced the opposite growing up in rural Missouri. People might not be effusive communicators, but they did show a sense of respect and put on a pleasant fact to one another.
In short, I was very disappointed in this novel. I had read a review and thought it sounded very interesting. I think I was the one that recommended it to my book club (we did select it for a future read)thinking that it would provide lots of discussion. Guess, we'll see.
If you do appreciate well written books set in rural "backwater" locations, check out Winter's Bone: A Novelby Daniel Woodrell.
that by the time July Montgomery drives his tractor to the silo,
he is too real to let go of.
Review would have been 5 Full Stars if David Rhodes' editor had steered him in a direction away from the hideous dog fight.
Many readers may stick with "Here we go round The Mulberry BUSH..."
a tree that resembles a bush when it grows.
A small town in southwestern Wisconsin, and it
This isn’t an exciting book but it is a well written book and has a interesting number of things to learn from it if you are patient.
Be sure to treat yourself to Rhodes earlier work, especially Rock Island Line!
A huge thank you
There are perhaps a dozen or more fascinating folks that populate this story of a tiny rural community, and David Rhodes makes sure you come to know them all intimately. There is comedy here and there is also tragedy. This is storytelling at its very best. My very highest recommendation.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER