As I Lay Dying

Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. 2006. 267p. 411 mins. ISBN 9780739345382. Available both at FIC FAU on the library shelves and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Addie Bundren is dying, and her last wishes are to be buried in her native town, Jefferson, Mississippi. She refuses to be put in the ground of the depressingly miserable farm where she spent her married life unhappily with Anse, her distant husband and five children with their own issues, wants, and desires.

Her eldest, 29-year old Cash, broke his leg and now walks with a pronounced limp. He is building her coffin outside by her window, so she can keep an eye on the progress and ensure that the casket is built properly. Her only daughter, 17-year-old Dewey Dell, runs the household and fans her to make her as comfortable as possible in the stifling July heat. Her second child, 27-year old Darl, only works when he wants to and generally tries to get out of it. Her middle child, Jewel, is in fact a half-brother to the others as he was conceived during an adulterous relationship, but he is his mother’s favorite. And the youngest, Vardaman, has not yet reached his teens.

When she finally dies, the whole family boards their wagon and begins the slow process of traveling towards Jefferson. Not wishing to be beholden to anyone, they sleep out in barns and in fields. A trip that should have taken two days stretches out to nine as the rains that fell on her death day have washed away the bridges leading to Jefferson on the other side of the river.

As they travel, each member of the family tells their story and explain the events that take place. Told from the perspective of fifteen different characters over the course of 59 chapters, a simple story of a death is peeled away to reveal so much more, from the intransigence of Anse to Jewel’s hot temper to Dewey Dell’s pregnancy, Darl’s insanity, and Cash’s tolerance for the foibles of his family. Arriving in Jefferson after adventures that include almost losing the coffin twice, the death of animals, the burning of a barn and another broken leg for Cash, the family is finally confronted with their own personal issues as they attempt to bury Addie.

Revolutionary when it was published in 1930, Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying continues to be one of the finest example of southern gothic cast of miserable characters in a backwater of a land and remains one of American literature’s classic tales.

Breathing Underwater

Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater. 2001. 203p. 309 mins.  ISBN 0-06-029198-2. Available both at FIC FLI on the library shelves and as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Nick seems to have it all. His family’s rich, he’s got the best looking girlfriend, and he has tons of friends. So why he is in court mandated therapy with a bunch of violent offenders? Why is his girlfriend Caitlin scared enough of him to seek a restraining order of him?

As Nick tells his story, the reader discovers that his life is not easy at all. His mother abandoned his father and him when he was young. His father is motivated and driven, but he expects the best from his only son. And he also takes out his anger out on Nick. But nobody knows this, not even Nick’s best friend. When Nick meets Caitlin, he knows she’s the one for him. They begin dating, but Nick is quick to control her life. He makes cutting remarks when she wears something he doesn’t approve. He wants to know where she is at all times, who she talks to, and what she’s doing. He doesn’t want her to look at other guys, and he gets mad at her when other guys look at her.

Nick’s control of Caitlin takes on a dark turn when he becomes violent with her. One scare and one hit too many for her, she presses charges against Nick and now he must spend time with these violent losers every week. He’s not like them, he’s nothing like them. He just loves her so much it hurts. But when one of the participants breaks into his old girlfriend’s house and kills her before shooting himself, Nick realizes that he in fact belongs in this group, and that to get Caitlin back he must understand that like father, like son is not a compliment in his case and he needs to break the mold of violence that surrounds his life.

If you like Nick’s story of redemption, check out Speak, where Melinda too much recover from a horrific event to gain back her life.