I'm torn between a 4 and 5 with this book. It's rednecky and trashy and disturbing and a little bit mind-blowing which pretty much satisfies all of my criteria to warrant a "fine novel" but it's almost too trashy and misogynistic and disgusting to give it a full 5. But then again there is amazing character development and it's done in a way that is subtle and psyhological and the author accomplishes something that very few writers can do in that she makes these almost despicable characters almost likeable; or maybe worthy of our pity might be a better description. As a reader, I was completely carried away with the plot and twists and certainly made to feel genuine compassion for these kids despite how F'd up they are all. There is some beautiful imagery and writing in this book as well. Screw it, I'm giving it a 5. But if you hate this, don't hold it against me.

Gritty & compulsive litfic/contemporary thriller. This is going down as one of the most underrated books I’ve come across!

I kind of feel like this book should have a big R rating on the front or some kind of a warning about the subject matter. I will not be recommending this book to my mother since I don't want to imagine her reading all those more often than not weird sex scenes. I'm still horrified by the time she suggested we go and watch the Sex & the City movie together.

Having said that, my faith in Oprah Book Club picks has been restored! I used to love her book club picks and then she has a string there where they all pretty much sucked, but I absolutey loved this one. Given the extremely dark and morose subject matter I'm not really sure what that says about me. I do love myself a good tragedy and this book is definitely tragic. In fact it makes tragedy look like a day at the beach, so if you aren't into devastatingly depressing stories you probably shouldn't read this book. From now on I will be using the main character Harley's life as my baseline and whatever it is that has got me down I will simply say to myself "Well it could be worse, at least your mom isn't in jail for shooting your dad and your sister isn't bound and determined to have a sexual relationship with you." That's definitely bound to be an instant mood lifter.

In all seriousness though, this was a well written page turner. The twists in the plot were awesome and I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to checking out other books by this author.

I have such mixed feelings about Back Roads. I felt like I was reading two books, one that really interested me and one that was just jarring and sensational. One covers the first three quarters of the book; the other is foreshadowed in the first chapter and then is revealed at the end.

O’Dell creates a compelling, memorable, convincing character in Harley Altmyer. Living in a decaying Pennsylvania coal town, Harley is a working class Holden Caulfield, a bit of a loner whose sarcasm helps him keep his pride and brush aside obstacles in his very difficult situation. His mother is in jail for killing his abusive father. Harley, 19, is responsible for taking care of his three younger sisters. He is immature, barely makes a living, but tries to rise to the occasion. His sisters - Amber, Jody, and Willow - also well-drawn, interesting characters - have (not surprisingly, given the family history) serious problems of their own. And Harley has the hots for a married woman with an interest in him.

Plenty enough drama for me. Will this family stick together despite the major trauma they have been through? How will the characters evolve? Can Harley keep it together? Yet my questions never got answered, because then comes the deep dark disturbing issue which to me didn’t flow from the rest of the book. I think a more restrained story and ending would have been more meaningful and interesting. O’Dell is a good writer and one of precious few who write about declining coal towns. I really liked the first two thirds of the book, which makes me want to read more of her novels.

I don't usually comment on my books, or give a review, but this book was great. Finished it in 2 days because I could not put it down. It's been a while since I was that into what I was reading. It's rough, raw, compelling, heartbreaking and you can't help connecting with the characters. This story will stay with me for some time.

First thoughts:

1.tI can’t believe I picked up an Oprah recommended book.
2.tDysfunction
3.tIncest? Didn’t see that coming.
4.tThanks to my good friend, Teryl, for bringing it to my attention.

This is a very fast paced story, and I was able to tear through it in a few hours. I felt for Harley, and all of his sisters. I can’t imagine being 17, mom killing pop, and being left to care for your three younger sisters.

I’m tired, and I suppose this not really a ‘review’ per se—just my feelings.

I didn’t understand Callie’s attraction to Harley. What was her motivation for the affair with the guy 15 yrs younger? He didn’t come off as particularly attractive (he rarely showered), he was dirt poor, he didn’t express himself very well. Hmm… well all I can assume is that that she felt sorry for him and wanted to make him feel good. Huh.

I disliked the ending. I don’t think we are meant too, after all not all stories have happy endings.

When there is a disfunctional family; it usually means the parents were mistreated when they were young. Disfunction leads to abuse and sometimes incest. The children are the innocent victims. They suffer horribably beacause of these things. That what this story was all about. The saddness of it all.

Highly disturbing and hesitated to add it to my "read it" list. You must have a cold heart or else a high tolerance for emotional pain to survive this book unscathed.

This was a brilliant read. Took some very dark subjects and created a very very good book. i loved every word of it. Will check out the rest of Tawni's books for sure.

I. Hated. This. Book.

It was dark, it was depressing, it was gross, and not just the subject matter... I can handle incest in my fiction, but you throw in a guy who quits showering and STILL get some down-town action as well as buggering his sister... and yeah. You get the *dingdingding* disgusting factor vote from me.

The saddest part is that the author is really talented. She writes really well. It wasn't the writing. It was the STORY.

This really showed a dark part of humanity; sickness, mental degradation, and dysfunction. It was entirely too depressing. I kept waiting for some shred of hope, some bit of light to make it's way through and maybe help at least one of these poor characters out, but no. It started on a depressing note and ended even worse.

If you're remotely suicidal, don't read this one, kids. Just, don't.

i have developed a real taste for literature from this region lately. and that might be the problem; why i didn't love this book the way danaaaaa does. all of the other books i have read (and i am using the term "region" pretty loosely to encompass mostly appalachia, but blurring around the edges of appalachia-proper a little) have followed a pretty consistent speech pattern and tone that this one strays from. am i being sexist to point out that this is the only woman i have read writing this kind of material? and maybe the things i admire - the succinctness of the prose and the very barebones dialogue that masks some huge concepts are a regional idiosyncrasy that female writers value less? i would love some argument to this, because i know this can't be true.

this is her nine-year-old:

But I didn't see bitterness or self-pity or some warped nostalgic wistfulness in his face. What I saw was something like pride but pride without ego, something like acceptance but acceptance without ever being allowed to consider any other options.

this just doesn't ring true as a nine-year-old observation. and - yes - the character is recalling the incident as a nineteen-year-old, but this and some other rather advanced psychological observations are being presented as having been acknowledged by a nine-year-old, and that just doesn't mesh for me.

even as a nineteen-year-old, it wouldn't work, not for this nineteen-year-old. and i am not saying that he needs to be an idiot, but the reality of his situation is that he works two jobs, goes to the shrink in his spare time, and is raising three younger siblings in the wake of his family's tragedy. i just don't buy a boy of his age, background, and situation waxing philosophical about art - from having seen some notecard reproductions - and having such sophisticated epiphanies, all the while experiencing hallucinations and blackouts as well as having his sexual awakening. meditating on the meaning of art is inessential - it is unrealistic to have this character speculating on the divergence of gender roles in a post-lapsarian world - this is an intellectual luxury.

were you ever a nineteen-year-old boy living hand-to-mouth mostly concerned with who would pay the bills and why your mom killed your dad?? is this how you spent time thinking??:

Her eyes turned a sandblasted gray as if she had made them ready for me to carve into them whatever horrible image i chose.

and

A gray mist had settled over everything, absorbing the weak morning light, and giving the air substance. I stuck my bare arm out into it and brought it back covered in shimmer. I breathed it in deeply, letting its feather weight fill my lungs and roll over my tongue. It tasted sweet and empty like purity should.

and i am not saying that poverty should go hand in hand with inarticulate or unsophisticated speech, but this seems indulgent and inappropriate.

you can have something be poetic and still ring true to the dialect of the region. ron rash, cormac mccarthy, castle freedman jr, daniel woodrell all function perfectly well within the confines of terse sentences that explode with meaning and they make sentences that resonate without sounding forced:

"Gun's only good when it's the only gun."

that is one of my favorite sentences ever.

and i could fill the page with mccarthy examples. and even nick cave in and the ass saw the angel - an australian, writing in a dialect that is occasionally sloppy, makes it realistic-sounding because of the biblical nature of the narrator's speeches. they are wildly overblown, but the kid is a) crazy, b) full of a mission of avenging angeldom, c) fucking crazy - so the hifalutin' language works, especially in a character that, being mute, can only express himself in his head, so the contrast works exceptionally well.

daniel woodrell makes such a believable character of ree in winter's bone; in the way she is raising her two younger brothers by herself, in the advice she gives:

"Never ask for what ought to be offered."

or

"Don't fight if you can help it. But if one of you gets whipped by somebody both of you best come home bloody, understand?"

she is tough and matter-of-fact and she never shrinks from what is necessary. but it is all done, not with resignation, never like she is giving something up; she is simply practical and does what needs doing. and she never once talks about art.

but i have strayed from my point.

i can see why oprah likes it. she loves the dysfunctional, depressing families, with a soupçon of incest. and she thinks women will like it too. and she is probably right, only this woman has been spoiled with too many similar books that hit all my personal buttons.

the book is not at all bad - the descriptions of the landscape are wonderful - i love the coal seeping through the ground to blacken the salt licks, and the deer being drawn to them despite their slowly being killed by them. the author is from the region, and she does a really good job of building the scenery, but the people sometimes seem either like caricatures (slutty, looking-for-love-and-comfort amber) or just too flowery in speech.but i was never bored, and even though i could tell where it was going, it was still a good read.

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Depressing. Disturbing. A couple of interesting twists towards the end made it a little better, but I still couldn’t really find myself pulling for any of the characters, except for the youngest girl.