(SAFE FROM THE NEIGHBORS BY Yarbrough, Steve(Author))Safe from the Neighbors[Paperback]Vintage Books USA

by Steve Yarbrough

In a small town in the Mississippi Delta, Luke May teaches local history to students too young to remember the turmoil of the civil rights era. Luke himself was just a child in 1962 when James Meredith’s enrollment at Ole Miss provoked a bloody new battle in the old Civil War. But when a long-lost friend suddenly returns to town, bringing with her a reminder of the act of searing violence that ended her childhood, Luke begins to realize that his connection to the past runs deeper than he ever could have imagined. An intricate novel of family secrets, extramarital affairs, and political upheaval, Safe from the Neighbors is a magnificent achievement.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern, Adult Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Historical

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Born in Indianola, Mississippi, he received his B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Mississippi and his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas. Writing largely within the Southern tradition, he draws his themes and characters from Southern history and mores in ways that have been compared to Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and Willie Morris.

Yarbrough's major works include the novels The End of California (2006), Prisoners of War (2004), Visible Spirits (2001) and The Oxygen Man (1999), as well as short story collections such as Family Men (1990), Mississippi History (1994) and Veneer (1998). His latest novel, Safe from the Neighbors, was published by Knopf in 2010.

His honors include the Mississippi Authors Award, the California Book Award, and an award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. His novel, Prisoners of War, was a finalist for the 2005 PEN/Faulkner award. His work has been translated into Dutch, Japanese and Polish and published in the United Kingdom.

A professor of creative writing for many years at California State University, Fresno, Yarbrough recently joined the faculty in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College in Boston.

He is married to the Polish literary translator Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough and they have two daughters, Tosha and Lena. He lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of my GR Friends gave Steve Yarbrough's Safe From the Neighbors 4 stars. Why not 5? 4 or 5, 5 or 4. Perhaps this has a bit to do with the text that goes along with the ratings. 4 = I really liked it 5 it was amazing. If I give this book 5 stars does that mean nothing else can touch it? Once again I'm conflicted by the use of stars but for me Mr. Yarbrough (I'm a new fan) deserves my 5.

I heard Steve Yarbrough speak at Booktopia Vermont 2013. At first he reminded more or a rock musician and if you go to his website you'll see him playing the guitar...or perhaps a football player. Never would I have guessed author. I kept hearing his name all weekend and everywhere I went people kept asking if I had read any of his books. I hadn't. After I heard Steve's talk I knew he'd be on my list.

Safe From the Neighbors is a slow building, and excellently crafted story. It is satisfying on so many levels. Luke May, is a history teacher, in present day Loring, Mississippi. When a girl from his past shows up to teach at the same high school as Luke, this spirals him backward in time where he re-examines his growing up years and secrets left buried in the past. What he thought he knew turns out to be something else entirely and changes the landscape of his life. Like a dust storm, clouding the picture, the boy Luke knows little of the struggle that black student James Meredith endures to register at Ole' Miss. Luke's a kid and Civil Rights is not paramount in his mind but it is for the adults around him.

Safe From the Neighbors has questions to be answered, a murder and more. Though James Meredith is important to the story, there is so much more. While it is a story of family, the father/son relationship is explored beautifully in this story. While it is a story about relationships, marriage is put under the microscope. While it is a story of love, love is explored on many levels. It's moody, intimate, and thought provoking.

My friends did not want to reveal too much and neither do I. 4 or 5 stars really don't matter. Just read Safe From the Neighbors.I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

When books have reviews by acclaimed authors like Richard Russo, John Grisham, Jill McCorkle, and Tom Perrotta, I always begin with a wary and careful eye. Is it really going to be that good? In this case, a resounding YES. Yarbrough seems to be an undiscovered gem in our group of US southern writers. Perhaps not, but I had never heard of him before.

This book has a well developed story, almost mystery, and carefully drawn characters. And the dialogue is amazing. I won't say anything else, discover it for yourself and enjoy the journey.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book by Steve Yarbrough and he is fabulous! Interesting subject about which, sadly, I am learning how much I do not know: Civil rights. Specifically an incident that occurred in 1962 on the campus at Oxford, Mississippi. I never knew about the drama that erupted there over a boy trying to enroll in college. The story goes back & forth from current to the 1960s and includes racial violence as well as family drama/marriages in crisis. All told from the point of view of Luke May, a high school history teacher.

I have at least two more Steve Yarbrough books queued. I'm looking forward to meeting him in person this spring!

[Sherri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly I am on a bad book streak. I hated the main character in this book. He was a whining jerk. The story seemed like it had some mystery - a teacher tries to unravel a murder in the 1960s and a family that his dad doesn't want to talk about. The mystery was slowly revealed, but it was not a mystery that was very interesting. Just really hated this book - wish that I had stopped wasting my time reading it. But I am an optimist and kept hoping it would get better.

[John Pappas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yarbrough's novel depicts the intersection of public and private histories - the things we struggle to forget and can't help but remember from our personal and collective past - in his story of a history teacher who attempts to excavate his own troubled family's involvement in the brutal events of the civil rights era in Mississippi while succumbing to the siren-song of childhood love and nostalgia. An excellent novel.

[Sherry Howland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luke May is a likable high school history teacher leading an unremarkable life in Loring, Mississippi, a small town with a dubious history. Luke's marriage is at a dead end and his parents' health is deteriorating, but his own love of local history and his realistic compassion and understanding for the townspeople keep him going. Into this inertia steps Maggie Sorrentino, a glamorous French teacher with a mysterious and tragic past, which Luke eventually learns is closely tied to his own family's history. His attempts to learn more and unravel the events of a long-past night lead Luke & Maggie into an affair, which...as these things will...eventually enmeshes far more than just the two lovers.

Publishers Weekly notes that Safe From the Neighbors is "...hobbled by the ordinariness of its characters and the situations they find themselves in." I disagree with the use of "hobbled." The characters' very ordinariness is what makes the story resonate. No one is a hero, no one is entirely a villain. The bombastic barbershop proprietor, the redneck members of Loring's Citizens' Council, the overbearing, dismissive banker are all recognizable to anyone who has lived in a small farming town, particularly in the southern reaches of the US. Luke's attempts to learn more about his father...a man far more complex than his son ever suspected...also ring clear and true.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it as a thoughtful, considered read.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very character driven novel with a minimal plot, which definitely breaks the usual mold of what I typically read and enjoy.

But this book has some important things to say on relationships, racism, family history, attitudes in the south and loyalty. Specifically on the topic of racism, there are some really ignorant, bigoted people out there which is unfortunate... but does that mean their entire lives are loathsome? That they aren't multi-dimensional human beings, capable of compassion and sacrifice? I don't think so.

As Steve Yarbrough said this weekend when I heard him speak, "I think if a person is 51% good, they're doin' alright." Just like the main character of this novel, Yarbrough is soft spoken yet eloquent. Even though this book isn't plot heavy, it runs deep.

Definitely recommend. Especially on audio.... I just love that professorial southern drawl. <3

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but what kept me from giving it a higher rating was that it just sort of ended abruptly. I was enjoying the story and the main characters, and then it just sort of ended. It was well written but left me with questions.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good until the end. The vague ending was a disappointment.

[Martin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable novel by one of the most gifted writers on the planet.

[Kat Leache · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking over my Goodreads reviews the other day I realized I was a little too generous with my stars. I will go ahead and put it out there that I am not a person who forces herself to slog through a book she hates. So anything that makes it to a status of "Read" is good enough for me to finish, but that's not the same thing as really thinking it's a good book. I read Yarbrough's new book in one night--which I guess says something. But it's probably the least favorite of his that I've read, and the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. The only aspect I really enjoyed was the fact that it took place in Mississippi and made me a little homesick.

From now on:

Five stars--I loved it, might reread it one day, and would recommend it to anyone more or less without reservations.

Four stars--I liked it a lot. It might be that it's the kind of book I particularly enjoy, but don't think are that great as works of art. A compelling but non-literary mystery maybe. Would only recommend it to people who I know like books of the same type.

Three stars--probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless I knew they liked the author. Good enough to finish, but either forgettable, or aggravatingly sloppy or badly constructed.

One or two stars--these will not be used in general, since I don't finish or rate books I don't like. But maybe if it was a book club selection or otherwise required, it would get one or two.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has all the ingredients to make it great: old crime, lots of history, racial tensions, really good writing. Except it disintegrates about 2/3 of the way in. I loved it at the beginning and even thought I found a new favourite author, but then the problems started. (spoiler) The narrator's affair is somehow sad, weird (he had a crush on her mother as a child) and shabby, which perhaps is what the author intended, but it takes the focus away from the mystery and makes the book unattractive and a slog to get to the pay-off which never comes. (I still don't know what exactly happened in 1962.) I do have to say that there were some truly excellent bits: the last section which tries to explain the hero's complex father is v. good. As is the title and its implications. But what a disappointment after such an excellent beginning. I might try another book by this author, though, because he does write v.well.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best book I have read in a long time. It feels so real; like it's a non-fiction memoir.* I love the way Mr. Yarbrough has woven seemingly unrelated vignettes from history, family stories, and childhood of the character into the narrative -- which then become so obviously essential to the tale he is telling!

As soon as I read the last word, I wanted to right back to the beginning and read it again because I *KNOW* I missed a lot. And I *KNOW* all those odd little elements will be so revealing now that I know the whole story.

Unfortunately, I had to put the book in the mail to another reviewer this morning. It's on our list of nominees for the 2012 Mississippi Library Association's Author Award for Fiction.
It's definitely got my vote.

*Forgive me if that seems redundant. To me the book is a memoir, albeit fiction.

[Catherine Woodman]

I loved this boo--and I finally finished it! I had it out of the library and then had to return it because someone had a hold on it that was not me. It is a multi-layered story, about a man who gets caught up in a story from the past--and with it he gets equally wrapped up in a woman from the past, and the two stories are told together. THe old story, of a man getting involved with an affair and sort of moving from one thing to another, without really taking a moment to look at the whole picture--what is he doing, why is he doing it, is it where he really wants to go--he never conducts that sort of self analysis, and he gets sucked into both the relationship and the old story and he is going down on both counts. The book is wonderfully written and I really recommend it.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one day, pressured by the deadline od discussing it at the library tomorrow. Due to many twists and turns, it will be helpful that its all fresh in my mind. I was disappointed because I thought the bok wqas going to be about race relations in the South which I am keen to discuss since the movie the HElp that I saw recently was powerful ad great to discuss. Instead this is a story bout betrayal. what the author does that is interesting is to fill in the details of stories in a skewed way, telling yu the end so that you think you have missed something but forcing you to guess what the missing piece is. The main character whose name escapes me givesa a real food for thought lecture at the beginning of the book, but he doen't, sadly, manage to remain a hero.

[Lisa Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to read/listen to more from Steve Yarbrough. Thank you BOTNS for introducing me to a new author. I look forward to meeting Steve in April 2013 at Booktopia Vermont. Having lived there, I love stories set in Mississippi. Now to listen Prisoners of War

[nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy I've been introduced to Steve Yarbrough. His characters and plot are deep and thought provoking...and the writing is sublime.
I listened to this and the reader, T. Ryder Smith, totally inhabited the narrator and all of the other characters (male and female) that he portrayed.
This book was a pleasure and I'm so anxious to meet the author at Booktopia Vermont.

[Candida Pugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yarborough's a bit hung up on cheating husbands and distancing wives but he can spin a story and work in any number of complications. The central mystery of this novel, however, never quite achieves resolution and I felt somewhat dissatisfied as I closed the book. Well. OK. As I turned off my Kindle.

[Sam Irwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it better than most of the books I've given three stars. It's more of a 3.89 book. Sometimes I get tired of the South but this one a had a nice ending that could have gone either way. I recommend it.

[Terri C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 7.5 out of 10

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author does an excellent job of telling a story with the historical context as the background while keeping the story in the foreground. This book is a bit dry, like the main character, and builds at a slow pace, yet still held my attention. Initially I wanted to know more about each character but by the end of the book I didn’t care about a single one and was happy to leave them behind. So with a statement like that, why would I give it even 3 stars? Because the author is a good storyteller, the historical context was interesting and I don’t think you have to like the characters to enjoy a book.

[Mitchell Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel by Steve Yarbrough the author does a good job of showing the inextricable link between historical events and the personal lives of individuals in a small town in MIssissippi, avoiding Southern stereotypes, but also not shying away from some of the dark, dirty truths unearthed there, as well. A great novel by an accomplished writer. --Mitchell Waldman, author of PETTY OFFENSES AND CRIMES OF THE HEART

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I updated at the halfway mark that I was waiting for the plot to start. In fact, it was rambling along woven into stories and musings about life in 1960s Mississippi and the racism that is an undercurrent of everything that happens. It’s a good listen.

[Twila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the style of writing, but felt like I missed something important as I read the last word.

[Gregory Holz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done and interesting story about racial tensions and a man's search for the truth. If you like Greg Iles I think you'd like this

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating between a three and a four. Interesting story set in a small and atmospheric Mississippi town. Uncovering family secrets while destroying current relationships.

[Breanna Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to move but a stellar finish with a lesson.

[Cndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great southern author has crossed my path. Enjoyed his very different writing style. Kept me hanging in there. But the sweetest part was all the history dabbled sporadically. Loved!

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Events from the past are still influencing and confusing the present in this book about a man trying to understand what led up to the murder of a neighbor decades earlier, a quest sparked by the return of her daughter to the area and this man's life. The violence surrounding the civil rights struggles in Mississippi and the shame that evokes also play a role here. As he begins to uncover the facts, his own recollections and memories, character and feelings are challenged and altered. The question looms: Why do we do what we do? Yarbrough tells this story well. This would be an interesting choice for a book club-- I'd love to discuss it!

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the setting is current, the backdrop is James Meredith’s enrollment at Ole Miss. Yarbrough shows how difficult the civil rights era was for small towns in Mississippi and the long lasting effects of events that occurred during that time.

The characters of "Safe from the Neighbors" are ordinary people. In fact, they are almost boring. The story is told from the point of view of Luke May, a high school teacher. It returns to a murder that occurred the night before Meredith's enrollment in Ole Miss.

I found the story powerful and enjoyed reading it. Yarbrough is a great Southern writer, capturing the true essence of his characters.