Book Review: Bastard Out of Carolina

A friend from book club leant me a couple of books a few months ago and I was finally able to get to them in mid-late July. (Yes, this is a belated post!! One of four actually).

It's been a few weeks since I read Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. Amazon.ca has a perfect synopsis of the book so I will borrow it: "Set in the rural South, this tale centers around the Boatwright family, a proud and closeknit clan known for their drinking, fighting, and womanizing. Nicknamed Bone by her Uncle Earle, Ruth Anne is the bastard child of Anney Boatwright, who has fought tirelessly to legitimize her child. When she marries Glen, a man from a good family, it appears that her prayers have been answered. However, Anney suffers a miscarriage and Glen begins drifting. He develops a contentious relationship with Bone and then begins taking sexual liberties with her. Embarrassed and unwilling to report these unwanted advances, Bone bottles them up and acts out her confusion and shame. Unaware of her husband's abusive behavior, Anney stands by her man. Eventually, a violent encounter wrests Bone away from her stepfather.-Kimberly G. Allen, National Assn. of Home Builders Lib., Washington, D.C (From amazon.ca)

Bastard Out Of Carolina was a very raw, emotional read!