The title continues as such: "A Southern Girl, a Small Town and the Secret of a Good Life". On the surface this appeared to be the story of a young woman who loses her battle with cancer but who fights it all the way to the end with the support of her hometown. And this is true. But it is so much more than that. Dreher could not wait to escape St. Francisville, Louisiana when he was a young man. A town with a population of around 1700 certainly wasn't for him. He went off to bigger and better things. Eventually he marries and has children. He would go home for visits but that was always enough. On the other hand his sister, Ruthie, loved her hometown. She married her childhood sweetheart, they had three daughters and she taught school. Her life was rather perfect until she fell ill. Throughout the book there are many visits to the past which explain (or try to) the relationship between Dreher and his sister. Families always have a lot of complexities but most of us decide to ignore them after we have left home - it is just easier that way. In the end Dreher and his wife decide to move back to this little town and finish raising their three children in the place from which Dreher always want to escape. It is interesting how he came to that decision. (You may want some Kleenex close during parts of this book - one reviewer referred to it as "Steel Magnolias" for a new generation!)
No comments:
Post a Comment