Review: You can almost smell the bayou
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 20, 2011
I first picked up this book, honestly, for two reasons. It was inexpensive on my Nook, and it was about Louisiana, no matter that it was set in Texas. Confusing? It will make sense when you read the book, never fear. The whole Louisiana thing? Yes, it has been an obsession for years, ever since I left the South, and never found my way back again.Be that as it may, the story immediately grabbed me, and soothed me into a long day of immersing myself into a culture I know and love. The prologue introduces you to a community of secrets, secrets deep as the bayou and as all encompassing as the waters of the Black Lake itself.The story begins when the main character, Leonie, is only a child, a child who is 'different' as her family is 'different.' And this difference, while actually a thing of beauty, is a true danger to the members of the large, extended family living by the lake. I was enchanted by the 'difference' that the lake people share. And as I read this book, and then "Veiled Eyes" the second Lake People novel, it led me to think about just how much 'difference' can guide the development of your life from the minute you are born. It isn't just this one, special, difference, but the whole concept of being 'different.' God knows, I grew up 'different' - but without the sense of community that Leonie's family offered, even if she, in her particular difference, didn't even fit in comfortably in la famille. But Leonie did survive it, survive and thrive, something I wish that I could have done.Read the book. Really. Then read Veiled Eyes, or in the opposite order if you so wish. But read them. They have heart and soul, and will leave you more than ready for the next one. Yes, she is writing another, I wrote my very first 'fan letter' and she actually wrote back - does that rock, or what?P.S. - And then read her other books. I have read "Bubba and the Dead Woman" and am off to review that one, too. I will read her others too, without a doubt. As good as these three are, funny, warm, thoughtful, and downright _Good_ I know I can't go wrong!