October 16, 2014
Double-entry day! This recently-popular novel was my gym/home read this week, another one to breeze through. I could never find a copy at the library whenever I would seek it out, and I only got an electronic copy after being on the waiting list (albeit a short one). I have very mixed feelings about this book.
On the one hand, I love the voice of Lily, the narrator. She's a sarcastic, angry child, and no wonder. She accidentally shot and killed her mother when she was a small child (which was totally her parents' fault, and Lily's own guilt over it is heartbreaking). Her father seems to be mentally ill. He shows no affection to his daughter, and tortures her for punishment (the kneeling bare-kneed on grits thing...shudder-worthy). He's quick to anger, and Lily is pretty scared of him. It's amazing that she's as bold as she is.
At the very least she's had Rosaleen, who was basically plucked from T. Ray's peach orchard and given the task of raising the kid. Rosaleen is pretty bold herself, a straight-talker who isn't afraid to stand up for herself. The simple act of dumping chaw juice on the shoes of some rude white men set the plot into motion.
So at least Lily, smart but an outcast, lost and missing the mother she hardly knew, had a strong female influence. She loved Rosaleen enough to bust her out of police custody. But Rosaleen can't link Lily to her mother, so her search leads them to the Boatwright sisters and their bee farm.
The Boatwright sisters are quirky. They celebrate a feminist-sisterhood power sort of take on Catholicism, lots of Mary worshiping. It's pretty cool that they found their own way to be spiritually fulfilled, and they even have a small congregation (mostly black women, a couple of men, and Lily white...haha) to worship at their idol, a black wooden statue of a woman raising her fist...something that fell off of the front of a ship. Their rituals are, to the worshippers, symbolic. If a huge chunk of the plot had been devoted to these services, though, I would have been annoyed.
The biggest issue that I have with this book is the continued stereotype of black women "saving" traumatized white kids. None of the Boatwright sisters married, so no kids of their own, which is convenient for having Lily come in as a sort of adopted daughter. Undoubtedly, a good-hearted woman could care for and love any child in need of it, at least that's what society wants us to think. I hesitate to call that yet another stereotype, but...
I suppose the whole race issue shouldn't matter; it is central to the plot, being the 1960s (think: after JFK's death, but before MLK's), in South Carolina. Indeed, June Boatwright herself takes issue with her sisters caring for white children, but comes to love Lily. I liked the overall tone of the book, as it was both light-hearted and heavy, but I take issue with the whole "Mammy" stereotype. August especially, the sage head of the family, was a bit of a stereotype, being ever-wise and ever-loving, selfless in her interactions with this white child. And in a way, Lily seemed like she felt entitled to the Boatwright sisters' love. Everyone needs love, but she was so greedy for it. What about Rosaleen, who'd always been there?
So while I enjoyed reading this book, that overall issue bothered me. I did, however, appreciate August's saying that a girl, a woman, has to be her own mother. She has to learn to love herself and draw strength from herself. I hear that.
So the bees were meant to be symbolic in some way, as were the references to Mother Mary. I guess to motherhood or the power of females, maybe? I did like the idea of inhabiting a world with few men and lots of women. Ha!
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