Reparation by Ruth Rodgers
A few weeks ago, I attended a book signing at a local church. Several authors talked about their novels. Ruth Rodgers talked about her book, Reparation. This is a story about segregation in the South, white versus black and right versus wrong. A lively discussion emerged about the use of the "n" word from some elderly attendees who had been children in a time when this word was widely used. I found their perspective fascinating to say the least.
Kate is the main character in Reparation. Now in her sixties, she returns her childhood home in the Panhandle of Florida to care for her aging mother. The memory of a night as a teenager when she failed to protect her childhood friend, Delia, who is African American, smacks her in the face. She can't shake it off any longer as she had done so many years ago. On her path to find reparation, Kate uncovers more ugliness that continues to live on in the small town.
First off I'm not crazy about the title. Does it describe the novel? Yes. Kate wants to admit her mistake and make amends to Delia. Does it grab me and make me want to read the book? No, not really. Reparation is not a word that is widely used or can roll easily off my tongue. Secondly I found the writing repetitive and slow. I tired of reading about their eating habits and her mother's sore shoulder. I skipped alot.
OK, so I didn't like alot about the book, but I have to say that this is story that needs to be told. It's a part of history we need to be reminded about so that we will never forget it. Only then can we as a society move past our sordid past and move on to a peaceful and loving future.
A few weeks ago, I attended a book signing at a local church. Several authors talked about their novels. Ruth Rodgers talked about her book, Reparation. This is a story about segregation in the South, white versus black and right versus wrong. A lively discussion emerged about the use of the "n" word from some elderly attendees who had been children in a time when this word was widely used. I found their perspective fascinating to say the least.
Kate is the main character in Reparation. Now in her sixties, she returns her childhood home in the Panhandle of Florida to care for her aging mother. The memory of a night as a teenager when she failed to protect her childhood friend, Delia, who is African American, smacks her in the face. She can't shake it off any longer as she had done so many years ago. On her path to find reparation, Kate uncovers more ugliness that continues to live on in the small town.
First off I'm not crazy about the title. Does it describe the novel? Yes. Kate wants to admit her mistake and make amends to Delia. Does it grab me and make me want to read the book? No, not really. Reparation is not a word that is widely used or can roll easily off my tongue. Secondly I found the writing repetitive and slow. I tired of reading about their eating habits and her mother's sore shoulder. I skipped alot.
OK, so I didn't like alot about the book, but I have to say that this is story that needs to be told. It's a part of history we need to be reminded about so that we will never forget it. Only then can we as a society move past our sordid past and move on to a peaceful and loving future.
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