The plot is interesting. Noted photographer Tucker Rain returns to his decaying family estate to help his mentally ill brother and to face his own demons from a past filled with cruelty. A former high school girlfriend comes on the scene with a five year old son and her own story of domestic violence. Martin takes us into the seriously ill mind of Mutt who compulsively washes his hands and everything else around him. The spirit of deceased housekeeper, Miss Ella, the only kind figure the children had ever known, speaks to Tucker throughout the novel. Her Christian wisdom guides him in his interactions with his brother and with his aged father now suffering with dementia.
The author’s description is compelling, if sometimes stretched. Baseball works very well as a symbol throughout the novel. However, certain incidents in the story do not seem to fit. Tucker’s happening upon Katie’s auto accident is just too convenient. Also, I could not discern the purpose of the clown and ice cream truck that came down the driveway on a Sunday morning.
This is a readable book about real problems (especially mental illness); just don’t get bogged down in the Alabama swamp or in too many details.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
