Review: A Soap Opera in a Book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 22, 2012
Karme, written by R. Mitchell, is a romantic saga set in the 1950s set in a backwoods area of the southern United States. It is a time of intolerance for anyone who is different from the norm, whether that is black people, poor people or one of the main characters of the book, Karme. Karme has grown up alone in the swamp, peering into civilization from the outside. Her mother, now deceased, has raised her alone in the swamp with only the books she collects from the mysteriously refilled "book box" for company. One day Boogie comes into her life, a young man trying to figure out his own place in the strange little town he has just moved to. From this point on neither can get the other out of their heads and a wonderful story begins. The story is not theirs alone as there are a myriad of intriguing characters that spin a web of almost soap opera-like plots and subplots throughout.When I started reading Karme I didn't think I would like it because it sort of dumps the reader right into Karme's life with little explanation about how she came to live in a swamp. I didn't think I would like Karme or Brant (Boogie) at all as I found their first meeting to be a bit unbelievable but the more I read, the deeper I was drawn into the world R. Mitchell has created. The character of Karme never became a favorite of mine as I couldn't quite find her believable until near the end. Brant however is an excellent character as are Red and Betty, the two black people that Brant later becomes entangled with due to his wife's actions.This first book, Volume One, is mostly Brant's story and throughout, pieces are written in his voice as he looks back from present to that time in his life. The story is very well written and the characters slowly reveal themselves to the reader and we find out how everyone becomes connected in some way. The author provides a wonderful storyline about the race issues of the 1950s that I found particularly interesting. I very much look forward to reading the next volume in this wonderful series.