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Tom Franklin

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Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Tom Franklin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 5,279 ratings

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“The classic trifecta of talent, heart, and a bone-deep sense of storytelling….A masterful performance, deftly rendered and deeply satisfying. For days on end, I woke with this story on my mind.” —David Wroblewski

A powerful and resonant novel from the critically acclaimed author of Smonk and Hell at the Breech, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter tells the riveting story of two boyhood friends, torn apart by circumstance, who are brought together again by a terrible crime in a small Mississippi town. An extraordinary novel that seamlessly blends elements of crime and Southern literary fiction, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a must for readers of Larry Brown, Pete Dexter, Ron Rash, and Dennis Lehane.

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description
Edgar Award-winning author Tom Franklin 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. A Q&A with Author Tom Franklin

Q: Tell us a bit about your latest book Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. How did you come up with the title?

Franklin: Title's a pneumonic device used to teach children (mostly southern children) how to spell Mississippi. M, I, crooked-letter, crooked-letter, I, crooked-letter, crooked-letter, I, humpback, humback, I.

Q: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a bit of a departure from your previous two novels—Smonk and Hell at the Breech—in that it is set in contemporary times and the story line is a bit less dark. What inspired the premise for this novel and the departure from a more historical setting?

Franklin: I'd been wanting to write about a small town police officer, and I'd long had the image of a loner mechanic in my mind. When I put the two together, the story began to form. I used a lot of autobiographical stuff for Larry, the mechanic.

Q: A review in USA Today (for Hell at the Breech) stated that, “he also makes his characters rise up from the pages as if they were there with you.” …and this is certainly true in your latest novel. How do you approach the task of developing your characters and bringing them to life? Are the characters in Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter based on anyone in particular?

Franklin: They're both a combination of different facets of different people, a conglomeration of fact and fiction. I usually try to just let them begin to do what they want to do, just put them in a situation and see what they do. When they begin to surprise me, do things I hadn't anticipated, that's when it's working.

But the character of Silas "32" Jones is very loosely based on the sole police officer of the hamlet of Dickinson, Alabama, where I grew up. This guy was actually the law in a nearby mill town, and my hamlet of Dickinson fell in his tiny jurisdiction. I've always loved the idea of small town cops, especially one who might be a kind of underdog to the police forces of nearby larger towns.

Q: In Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter your two main characters are anything but stereotypical—the young black boy goes off to college to play baseball and comes back to be the town constable and the young white boy is the accused murderer and the town outcast. What, if anything, prompted you to portray these characters this way?

Franklin: No real person is a stereotype, and I try to make my characters as real as I can. We're all a mess of contradictions and secrets, strangenesses and desires, and nobody's all good or all bad. We're all somewhere in the spectrum between absolute good and absolute evil. So I just try to find a character who's fairly normal, and put him or her in a fix and see how he or she negotiates it to see, as Kurt Vonnegut says, what he or she is made of. In this case, the story as I came to understand it called for Larry to stay home and Silas to leave. If it had been the other way around, I'd still work to make the characters unstereotypical.

Q: Without giving away too much of the story, what is one thing (emotion, thought) that readers can expect to walk away with after reading this book?

Franklin: It's a sad book, but it's full of hope. Hope is what I want a reader to leave with.

Q: Historically the South has not always had a positive image in other parts of the country. How has your experience growing up and living in the rural South shaped your talent as a writer? And have you ever felt the need to justify or redeem the South’s past in any of your works?

Franklin: I think growing up in the south made me the person I am, and the writer I am comes from that. So, yes, the south's made me the writer I am. It taught me to listen to the cadences and rhythms of speech, and to notice the landscape. It also has this defeated feel, a lingering of old sin, that makes it sweet in a rotting kind of way. Much of it is poor, much is rural, and that's an interesting combination, a deep well for stories.

Q: Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer? Who are some writers, past and present, that you admire or have inspired you?

Franklin: I always knew I wanted to tell stories, one way or another. If I'd had a video camera in the mid 1970s I'm sure I'd be a filmmaker now. But I just had a portable typewriter, and so the stories I could tell were ones on paper.

Q: You are one of the most celebrated writers in the field, and have been compared to the likes of Harper Lee, William Faulkner, and Elmore Leonard. What do you believe is the one thing that sets you apart from other contemporary writers in your genre?

Franklin: What sets me apart? I honestly don't know that I’m more "apart" from other writers of my generation. Landscape plays a large role in what I write, but that's true of many other writers. My stuff is set in the south, but that's true of others as well. I don't know, honestly.

Q: As a professor of English, what is one piece of advice that you would share with aspiring writers?

Franklin: Read, starting with the classics. Read all the time. If you don't read, you won't ever be a writer. Also, write. This seems obvious, but it's amazing how many "writers" don't write very much.

From Publishers Weekly

Franklin's third novel (after Smonk) is a meandering tale of an unlikely friendship marred by crime and racial strain in smalltown Mississippi. Silas Jones and Larry Ott have known each other since their late 1970s childhood when Silas lived with his mother in a cabin on land owned by Larry's father. At school they could barely acknowledge one another, Silas being black and Larry white, but they secretly formed a bond hunting, fishing, and just being boys in the woods. When a girl goes missing after going on a date with Larry, he is permanently marked as dangerous despite the lack of evidence linking him to her disappearance, and the two boys go their separate ways. Twenty-five years later, Silas is the local constable, and when another girl disappears, Larry, an auto mechanic with few customers and fewer friends, is once again a person of interest. The Southern atmosphere is rich, but while this novel has the makings of an engaging crime drama, the languid shifting from present to past, the tedious tangential yarns, and the heavy-handed reveal at the end generate far more fizz than pop.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Rural Mississippi in the 1970s was rife with racial tension, but skin color didn’t matter to boyhood companions Silas Jones and Larry Ott. Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother, and Larry, the child of white lower-middle-class parents, were both outsiders, Silas because of his color, Larry because he was quiet and a little odd, his nose always buried in horror novels. The young men’s bond strengthened over time, until the night a pretty local girl went on a date with Larry to the drive-in movies and was never heard from again. No body was found and Larry never confessed, but that didn’t keep the townspeople from suspecting him. Estranged from his friend, Silas heads off to college in Oxford, Mississippi, and more than 20 years later, returns to take a job as town constable. He sees no reason to contact Larry, who’s settled into a lonely existence as a mechanic, unable to escape the relentless whispers and dirty looks. The disappearance of another girl brings the two former friends back together, forcing them to come to terms with buried secrets and dark truths. Edgar Award winner Franklin (Hell at the Breech, 2003) renders luminous prose and a cast of compelling characters in this moody, masterful entry. --Allison Block

Review

“Long after the other 75 novels of suspense you’ve read this year merge in your memory, you’ll vividly recall this novel. Franklin has written not just a thriller of the first order, but a very fine novel, indeed.”

From the Inside Flap

In the 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas 32 Jones were boyhood pals in a small town in rural Mississippi. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry was the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, black single mother. But then Larry took a girl to a drive-in movie and she was never seen or heard from again. He never confessed . . . and was never charged.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry lives a solitary, shunned existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has become the town constable. And now another girl has disappeared, forcing two men who once called each other friend to confront a past they've buried for decades.

--David Wroblewski

From the Back Cover

In the 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals in a small town in rural Mississippi. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry was the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, black single mother. But then Larry took a girl to a drive-in movie and she was never seen or heard from again. He never confessed . . . and was never charged.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry lives a solitary, shunned existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has become the town constable. And now another girl has disappeared, forcing two men who once called each other "friend" to confront a past they've buried for decades.

About the Author

Tom Franklin is the author of Poachers, Hell at the Breech, and Smonk. Winner of an Edgar Award and a 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship, he teaches at the University of Mississippi and lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife, the poet Beth Ann Fennelly, and their children.

From AudioFile

Franklin's mystery is ostensibly about the disappearance of two girls 25 years apart and the man whose life has been ruined by the ostracizing of neighbors who believe he's to blame. It's also a finely crafted psychological portrait of two men of different races and their friendship as they grow up in rural Mississippi. Narrator Kevin Kenerly highlights Franklin's wonderful use of language; without negatively impacting the pace of the story, he manages to make listeners feel they're savoring each perfectly written sentence. Between Franklin's writing and Kenerly's narration, this story will not be easily forgotten. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003XDUCGS
Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow; Reprint edition (October 5, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 5, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1062 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #268,222 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #286 in Southern United States Fiction
- #804 in Historical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #1,230 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction

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4.3 5,279 ratings

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Tom Franklin

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I was born in the hamlet of Dickinson, Alabama, which has a population of around 400 and is about half-white, half-black. I attended Dickinson Baptist Church for a while. I grew up a nonhunter in a hunting household, and I liked writing, drawing, and reading. I am the first member of my family to finish college.

When I turned 18, we moved to Mobile, and my father, a mechanic, opened a shop there. I went to the University of South Alabama, but I got such bad grades that my father told me he wasn't going to pay anymore. From there, I got jobs in a warehouse, at a plant that made sandblasting grit, and finally with an engineering firm, which sent me to a chemical plant where I spent years cleaning up hazardous waste. All through these jobs, I took classes at the University of South Alabama, paying my own tuition as I went, and finally discovering creative writing classes. I worked in my late twenties, finishing my BA and beginning my MA, in a hospital in Mobile, and also tutoring in the university's writing lab. From there, I got a job teaching at Selma University, an historical all-black Baptist college. I was neither black nor Baptist (not anymore) and was, usually, the only white person on campus. I taught six classes one semester, six different classes, and five the next. I also finished my comprehensive exams for my MA, finished my thesis (a short story collection), and worked on my foreign language proficiency exam.

I'd published a few short stories and won third prize in the Playboy College Fiction Contest (around 1991), and so I decided to pursue writing as a career. I applied to several MFA programs and wound up, fortunately, at the University of Arkansas. There I met my wife, poet Beth Ann Fennelly. We got married at the end of that four-year-long program, and around the same time, I sold my first book, Poachers, and the idea for Hell at the Breech, to William Morrow. We lived apart that first year of marriage—it was hard getting teaching jobs in the same city—but moved to Galesburg, Illinois, where my wife got a job teaching at Knox College. I won the Philip Roth Residency at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and moved there for one semester. After that, we decided no more living apart.

I taught at Knox for a year, during which we had our first child, Claire. Then I was offered the John and Renee Grisham Chair in Creative Writing in Oxford, Mississippi. We moved there, planning to return to Galesburg, but never have. Beth Ann was offered a job at Ole Miss, and they named me an ongoing writer-in-residence—and there we remain to this day. Our second child, Thomas Gerald Franklin III (I'm Junior) was born in Oxford in 2005. We love Oxford and hope never to leave.

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rhodainpgh

The Loneliness of Being Unknown & Suffering Betrayal

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013

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Crooked Letter Crooked Letter is an exquisite novel about loneliness, betrayal and being ostracized as an outsider. No one goes unscathed in life. We all know these experiences intimately in one way or another.

One of the best things about yearly Christmas letters is when my friends make book recommendations. This was mentioned by someone I trust and it was high on my list for 2013.

People decide who we are without knowing us. It reaches an initial peak in high school which is why it's such a painful time for so many and we never really leave it behind. The world is full of people making critical judgements that isolate us from each other. We also isolate ourselves with harsh beliefs about others and ourselves.

The high price of disconnection and the profound pain it causes are brought to life in this novel of boyhood friends in the South. People decide who you are & it's a box you don't have a choice about leaving behind if you are poor & live in a small community. I believe this happens in small ordinary ways on a daily basis.

Therapy is often an invitation to return to locating new possibilities within, even when the world has given up on you.

The book is about Larry who is at the center of only extremely lopsided relationships; and he naively allows himself to be used by others for their own purposes. No one values his essential goodness. This same pattern is experienced by so many in the struggle of dating because it is very difficult to sort out who are the good guys & where are they????

The power of race is another layer of this crime novel. It shuttles back in time to the forbidden friendship in childhood of Larry who is white and Silas who is African-American and then returns to the present when they haven't seen each other in two decades.

The reader grows to care deeply about their relationship which is touched by the magic of transformation. A novel that includes depth of character, lyrical prose & transformation what more could anyone want??

The writing is rich in details which begins with the title, crooked letter is the S in Mississippi which southern children are taught in how to spell their state name. The old saying that the first sentence should grip the reader & not let go also applies to the author Tom Franklin.

Betrayal of self, betrayal with intention and the distinctly different betrayal through neglect are both delineated with great care & attention.

I was moved because one character makes amends to the other without any words, in the more meaningful way of taking actions. This book has the infrastructure that helps the reader feel the pain in both the journeys of Larry & Silas. The conclusion felt so authentic that it left me wanting to hang out in the kitchen eavesdropping on their next conversation.

We have all experienced someone deciding they know us without any evidence, of being betrayed by those we thought were our friends, of feeling deep loneliness and we've all betrayed ourselves. These are universal themes that are explored in this amazing book.

3 people found this helpful

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Alksped

Good book!

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023

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I enjoyed this for the back and forth between Silas and Larry… Most of the story I figured out before the author revealed it, but it was still written very well, with vivid descriptions and a few twists. Overall, it was a book that drew you in and found you trying to decipher all the clues (historical and present day) to figure out what happened and in the end, I was thankful that Larry had found a true friend.

One person found this helpful

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CBJ

Wonderful story and characters!

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024

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This one is full of unexpected twists and turns. The time worn story of black and white conflict in the Deep South, through no fault of the well developed characters.

It will keep you engaged and wanting to turn the page.

An excellent read.

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2011

Verified Purchase

Tom Franklins book Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (in fairness it's more like 3.5 stars) tells the story of racism in the South, and in small communities by using the stories of Larry (white) and Silas (black) as a backdrop for the inner-workings of relationships between what appear to be two different worlds.

First, I have to say Franklin has a voice of his own as a writer. Not only his style, but he actually is a very lyrical writer - almost like a John Knowles. I found this book to be compulsively readable. Tom is really great at building suspense. He is able to build some incredibly complex characters. (In some instances I think there are too many conflicts with some of them which I will get to below.) However, this book would be an excellent book club book. I woke up thinking about it and could not stop thinking about it. I struggled with some of the intended messages of the book. I wish I'd chosen this as a book club book. I think there are some excellent discussion points in this book.

Spoiler ALERT:

The problems: In my opinion there are many, but also below I make some points about things I liked to.

-Larry's mother Ina is a very loving mother. Franklin tries to use her character to show some of the deep roots of racism by taking a character that we see as a loving, and protective mother- a virtually perfect character- and showing a darker side of her at the beginning with the coats. To me, this fell short of the deep roots of racism and Ina's dislike for Alice has more to do with the fact that Carl, her husband has fathered a child with Alice.

-At the end of the book Silas is made into a hero which was especially an honor because of his race. He referenced internally in the book how much harder he would have to work to draw attention. However, Larry is never really exonerated in the book. He's exonerated from the Rutherford murder. But, if you've ever lived in a small town - after 25 years of living as Scary Larry- it's hard to imagine even with the mystery behind the small community that people will still open their arms up to him. Even though he is slightly wierd, and has somewhat questionable judgement (considered Wallace to be a friend) Larry really in many ways for me rose as the true hero of the book in many ways. He remained living in a small town that NEVER treated him right. He was ostracized and was an outcast. However, you see Larry's good heart, his willingness to forgive, and understand. He has an amazing depth a lot of compassion. I loved the character of Silas- but what he did to Larry is almost unforgiveable. It really diminishes him. Morally he's such a great character yet he's made some serious missteps in his life that he tries to correct. Initially I wondered when he moved back why he would not fix his mistakes by clearing Larry. Understandable it still would have been taboo all these years later that he has a relationship with Cindy.

-Silas himself is very complex. However, the hate over Larry having used the "N" word so long ago to Silas has such a deep impact on Silas that this to me was the root of the effect of racism. Silas is ostracized because of his color- he's black. So, he felt ok with Larry being ostracized for something he also could not control. That he was "different". (Franklin leaves you somewhat to draw this conclusion which is the sign of a good writer and something I appreciated a lot about this book)

-You don't expect Silas as a young man to have the compassion to see what he's doing- but as an older man you do. If he didn't care enough about Larry not to let him live an ostracized live upon his return to Chabot all these years later- then it's hard to believe he would care enough about why Larry is not at Ottomotive in the afternoon.

-Franklin is very unfair to his character Larry I feel and that neglect of his main character who narrates a good part of the book- is not missed. Larry and Silas in the end both have discovered in their own way their relationship- that they are brothers. Maybe that's motivation for Silas to try so hard to connect with Larry. But, otherwise it's a little hokey- because even thought the town didn't know Silas ALWAYS knew that Larry wasn't the last one with Cindy Walker. Silas becomes a hero, and Larry is still left with no one except for Silas. (And Silas is lucky to have his forgiveness.) Larry doesn't seem to be made the hero for any reason. I wish Franklin would have been more just to Larry and made him a hero in his own right too. In the end Larry doesnt have anyone who's never treated him poorly even though he's lived with a lot of dignity to face the ridicule for 25 years an be suspect of a crime that in his heart he knows he didn't commit.
A few other issues with Larry: He's a very smart guy. He's an avid reader- but he's also read horror novels his entire life. At times I feel like Franklin tries to tangle his characters wierdness with stupidity which does not equate. I believe Larry would have had the foresight to see the danger in Wallace. Even out of desperation for a friend, or the desire to want to help Wallace, Larry would have done the right thing. Larry is the only main character in the book who appears to be perfectly moral- yet the story is the most unfair to him. Not always a problem for me in fiction, but Franklin went out of his way to pretty up the end for everyone else. Larry lays in bed still trying to determine what he could have done stop Wallace. He blames himself and internalizes- yet Silas becomes the hero. Which in many ways he was very heroic, but you don't see this internal struggle with him, here.

-Cindy Walker? THIS IS A HUGE FLAW in this novel for me. Larry is ostracized for years and years over the disappearance of Cindy Walker. When Silas finally admits that he was the last one with her- it's just shrugged off. There was some implied race issues even between Silas and the Chief Investigator. For example when the CI touches Silas, or the very acknowledged red tape that Silas has to work through, lack of job equality. So- again if all these years later it's taboo still that Silas would have dates Cindy then - if at the heart of these white men they are racist- then why would they not investigate? Sure thre is no body- but Silas had a motive. Cindy was supposedly pregnant. Silas says she wasn't. I don't believe Silas killed her- but who knows- he's done other questionable things- he was the last one to see her alive, and had a motive to kill her, and even said they fought all night. Again, I don't believe the character Silas killed Cindy but this was a huge issue that they just shrugged it off for Silas after it had haunted Larry for years.

-Again, I think Larry is portrayed unevenly. If you're suspected for years of a crime you didn't commit aren't you interested to solve the crime. Not that he could have- but it struck me as odd how dumbfounded Larry was that Cindy is dead. And that they just now (both he and Silas) draw the conclusions that it was Cecil Walker. There were many witnesses to Cindy's abuse from Cecil. There aren't many secrets in small towns. I find it hard to believe Cecil Walker was never more of a suspect.

-Silas seems to want to solve these crimes- to do the write things. But, Silas has obviously has women troubles in the past. He gets himself in compromising situations, and is overtly sexual whereas Larry is not- as an adult. Silas also shows a cruelty for snakes and killing them even though he seems to reflect on his wonderful times with Larry and Larry's love for nature and good spirit. Yet, Larry always kept snakes in jars- something Wallace copies later on. But how did Wallace know about that? It doesn't ever indicate that as an adult that Larry still kept snakes locked up. And why? Franklin never offers an explanation for why Larry would always have snakes in his pockets or collect them- especially when he didn't like to hurt animals. Is it really only to paint Larry as legitimately wierd?

-The book is mostly told from Larry's perspective. And most of the racial questions that are direct in the book come from Larry, or are told by Larry. The infliction of racism on blacks by whites is much more present than the opposite. Larry wonders is black people are happy when white people acknowledge them- but this doesn't seem to be anything NEW in literature tackling this topic. There are never answers offered. Franklin plays it a little safe. He downplays some of the actions of black towards white kids, and never much more on that. I felt the racism topic was viewed from only one angle, and reverse racism wasn't ever acknowledged. It's a great topic, albeit hard- to tackle and Franklin does it with some points- but I wish he'd taken more changes- been brave.

-It wraps up too quickly and too neatly. Silas eludes to a "suprise" in the newspaper but they never tell you what is is. Franklin leaves you to draw your own conclusions but I found that frustrating. Did Silas reveal that they are brothers? Did he finally exonerate Larry in the disappearance of Cindy Walker? Did he do both? Everyone is happy in the end- Angie and Silas are together. Larry is very quickly accepting of Silas and forgiving.

-One other side note- This may seem like I am being petty- but it's just a pet peeve because I see it so much. When writers try to tackle the topic of racism- the N word gets used. But, Franklin also throws in the word "faggot" as well. It's not that I am offended at harsh language in a novel. But, I felt like Franklin threw that in as an afterthought to be contraversial, and because he'd used the N word. It was distracting to me because it seemed that obvious to me.
The N word though seems to be a gun blast to the face for Silas - but he doesn't seem to reflect the gun blast to the face he'd just given Larry right before Larry used the word- beating him up in front of his father. I wish Franklin would have shown and redeemed Silas a little here by Silas directly acknowledging the torture he let Larry endure because of this word but made Silas acknowledge the crime beating Larry up in front of his father- and how profound an impact that would have had on Larry's existence.

-In the end Larry's not even exonerated to his parents. Carl Ott is long dead and his mother has dementia. It's painful that he can't be exonerated to them after how he's handled himself. Carl Ott was never close to his son- but you would think even in an effort to protect him he would have brought awareness to the fact of Cindy's abuse by Cecil to make Cecil a suspect since Carl has witnessed this behavior first hand. It's just another example of how odd it was that Cecil was never further implicated in Cindy's disappearance. Not believable. If Silas is this moral cop (unless he only is out for attention of Shannon the reporter) then why did he never try to solve Cindy's disappearance? Why did he stay in Chabot when he came back and realized the real truth. He indicated when his mother sent him to Oxford he didn't realize all the was happening, and then he forgot about her. But he has been in love with her. When we came back and chose to stay why didn't he atleast try to solve the crime?

-Carl Ott is one of the most complex characters in the book. I wish Franklin would have talked more about the relationship between Carl and Alice. He seems to have loved her. But, did he stay with Ina because he could not be with Alice? Did Alice really ever love him? Does he help them out of responsibility or because he loved them. You sense Silas was always the son he wanted- but in the opportunities he has he doesnt try to have a relationship with Carl. Why does Carl stay married to Ina.

It's not lost on me that a book leaving you with questions is also the signs of a good book. Sometimes there can be too many holes and gaps. Some of these gaps aren't that big of a deal but there are a few major ones that just don't add up. And ultimately I don't expect a happy ending but if Franklin is serving them up I think he should have been more kind to Larry. The book is about racism but in many ways it's more about how unfair life is. Silas is a great man- but not as strong as Larry. Yet the becomes the hero even though he has some character flaws of his own. So in the end it's to me more about how life is unfair. There is a lot of human element to this book though and I liked that- but ultimately more than racism it's just about like not having even shakes. Because of racism. But also because a rich man's daughter may be more of a priority than Cindy Walker seemed to be at the time when she disappeared. Silas gets to be a hero, but Larry is barely, if at all- it's arguable- exonerated.

I won't forget this book for a long time, or the complexities of the relationships. It's the kind of book you'll read something different into each time you read it. Franklin doesn't force feed much to you and again I actually appreciate an author trusting the reader to be smart enough to see thier own theme- it's what makes writing profound, and there are some profound moments in this book. I'll still be thinking about Silas and Larry for a long time- wondering about them and where their stories go. But, I'll will still be thinking of their boyhood summer and the changes that can happen, and the muddiness of real life, and the shadows in small towns and I will be haunted for this book for awhile.

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Heather

Good read

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2023

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This was an easy read that had excellent character development and an engaging story. While at times I got very sad and frustrated for poor Larry, I kept with it and am glad I did.

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Linda

Good read

Reviewed in Canada on November 16, 2018

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I got lost in the story. I liked the ending left to my imagination. I liked Larry's character and determination.

Teresa

BUENISIMO

Reviewed in Spain on January 29, 2014

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Sencillamente magistral, lo recomiendo encarecidamente. Aviso que me ha costado bastante leerlo en inglés, ya que utiliza el ingles tan particular de toda la zona del Missisipi y para mi ha sido complicado. Lo aviso . Pero eso sí no dejen de hacerlo. Es muy buen libro.

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Plucked Highbrow

Social realism, a gripping mystery and beautifully written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2013

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Larry Otts and Silas Jones are two boys growing up in Mississippi. Silas is black and Larry is white but they have many things in common, both are only children and are finding it hard to fit in with society. Larry's father is abusive and thinks little of him, Silas' mother is a poor single parent. Larry is surprised that an attractive local girl asks him on date but there is a twist, she disappears and Larry is suspected of murder. With no proof Larry cannot be convicted officially but in the eyes of the town he is a murder and treated as an outsider with no friends. Trapped in the town looking after his mother, Larry is lost in a world of his own, his main pleasure coming from reading. Silas was a talented athlete and went to college on a scholarship. He is now the local lawman and another local teenage girl has disappeared.

I loved this book; the story is believable, the characters well-developed and the plot comes together nicely. However what makes it so special is the quality of the writing. Franklin is lyrical and descriptive but without being over the top. He is not about showing how clever a wordsmith he is, he is about using words to create a sense of time and place.

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Kindle-Kunde

No Southern Comfort – So geht Regionalkrimi

Reviewed in Germany on September 4, 2012

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Larry Ott alleinlebender Außenseiter der die abgelegene Autowerkstatt seines verstorbenen Vaters weiterführt, obwohl bei ihm nie Kunden halten, wird in seinem Haus angeschossen. Schwer verletzt, im Koma liegend schwebt er zwischen Leben und Tod. Silas Jones, Constable bei der Polizei in einer Kleinstadt im tiefen Süden der USA, in Mississippi, wird in diesen Fall verwickelt. Larry hatte bereits, wie schon oft, Besuch von der Polizei, denn ein Teenager wird vermisst. Larry war 25 Jahre zuvor bereits verdächtigt ein Mädchen entführt, vergewaltigt und ermordet zu haben. Nur konnte das nie bewiesen werden.

Die Geschichte wird aus den wechselnden Perspektiven von Larry und Silas erzählt, dabei wechseln auch die Zeitebenen, wenn die Geschichte von Kindheit und Jugend der beiden sich mit den aktuellen Ereignissen abwechselt. Es ist die Geschichte von Außenseitern, Larry ein Weißer, Silas ein Schwarzer.
Für einige wenige Monate ihrer Jugend waren die Zwei befreundet. Diese Erinnerung wird für Silas nun wieder lebendig, Larry hatte sie nie vergessen. Silas erfährt Dinge über Larry und sich selbst, die vieles ihrer Vergangenheit in ein andres Licht tauchen. Außerdem muss er sich unbequemen, schmerzhaften Wahrheiten stellen. Sein Verhalten in der Vergangenheit hat mehr mit Larrys Schicksal zu tun als er sich eingestehen möchte. Er muss sich seiner Vergangenheit stellen, denn er weiß Dinge über Larry, die niemand sonst kennt. So nähert er sich der Wahrheit im Fall des verschwundenen Mädchens und Larrys Schussverletzung.

Tom Franklin beschwört die Stimmung des Südens herauf, des Lebens in einer wirtschaftlich abgehängten Region die einem steten Verfall zu unterliegen scheint. Ärmlicher „ White Trash“ lebt hier, Schwarze sind hier nicht besonders gut gelitten und Typen wie Larry Ott werden ausgegrenzt, schikaniert und bedroht. Die seelischen Grausamkeiten vom eigenen Vater, die Rücksichtslosigkeit und das Mobbing durch Gleichaltrige werden von Franklin überaus plastisch und nachvollziehbar geschildert. Das Verhalten der beiden Hauptfiguren, ihre Bemühungen das Richtige zu tun, irgendwo dazuzugehören, Freude und Freunde zu finden beschreibt Tom Franklin souverän und einfühlsam.
Das Leben in dieser Gegend mit ihren Typen, deren Eigenheiten, ihren Einstellungen und der Landschaft, sind Teil der Geschichte. Franklin gelingen Formulierungen die wie beiläufig die Stimmung der Gegend vermitteln. Düstere Schilderungen, etwas das unter der Oberfläche zu brodeln scheint, wechseln sich ab mit gekonnten Dialogen. Die haben Wortwitz und wirken gänzlich ungekünstelt. Die Handlung ist spannend und offenbart in ihrem Verlauf Zusammenhänge die die Spannung hochhalten.
Eine atmosphärisch dichte, plausible und spannende Geschichte, bevölkert mit gut charakterisierten Figuren in einer großartig, lebendig beschriebenen Umgebung. Wunderbarer Southern Noir mit literarischen Anspruch.

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lectrice anglophone

"The past is never dead; it isn't even past" Wm. Faulkner

Reviewed in France on March 15, 2012

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Le poids du passé, un thème récurrent dans la littérature, que ça soit dans les "polars" scandinaves avec comme décor des étendues glacées et des fjords mystérieux ou dans le végétation luxuriante des bois et des sous-bois du Sud Profond comme dans ce roman. Il s'agit d'un "policier" car il y a eu des crimes et il faut trouver un ou des coupables mais c'est surtout un regard plein de compassion et d'humanisme pour les deux héros, Silas Jones, un noir, et Larry Ott, un blanc, dans un hameau du Mississippi de nos jours, mais avec d'importants flash backs dans les années 80. Qui dit Mississippi( le "crooked letter" du titre)dit des relations très compliquées entre les deux communautés. Rien n'est simple à Chabot avec ses commerces sur le déclin ou carrément fermés, ses maisons à l'abandon envahies par le "kudzo" Mais il y a aussi les "diners" avec leurs employées aux formes généreuses et le coeur sur la main , les petites églises ou les habitants (au moins certains) trouvent du réconfort. Tout est rose ?? Non, des "machos",une bouteille de bière à la main, ont toujours le culte des armes à feu, la drogue fait des ravages comme partout, des quartiers entiers sont voués à la pauvreté. Des clichés ?? Peut-être -- mais l'auteur connait les hameaux du sud, donc, tout ça sonne juste.
C'est un roman qui parle de rédemption, de quête de vérité, et le poids énorme de l'enfance et l'adolescence sur chacun de nous.
J'ai entendu parlé de ce roman avec le titre en français "Le Retour de Silas Jones".

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