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In Memory Of
A grave outside the cemetery fence with no “In Memory Of” is a modern-day mystery.
Thomas loves Esther, but she isn’t accepted in Canaan because of her bastard birth. After discovering a family secret, Thomas fears he’ll be treated the same.
IN MEMORY OF is another example of two teenagers struggling against an unforgiving society in rural Alabama 1933.
Thomas loves Esther, but she isn’t accepted in Canaan because of her bastard birth. After discovering a family secret, Thomas fears he’ll be treated the same.
IN MEMORY OF is another example of two teenagers struggling against an unforgiving society in rural Alabama 1933.
178 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2013
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About the author
John Northcutt Young
14 books5 followersJohn Northcutt Young remembers making up stories from spelling words in grammar school. A journalism degree followed. An Alabama native, John lives in Florida.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 20, 2020
“In Memory of” is a finely tuned, well-crafted story with a classic Southern Gothic vibe. The language is lyrical, even poetic in spots, and the internal dialogue of its protagonist is full of droll humor, wry observations, and self-absorbed adolescent angst.
The protagonist and narrator—14-year-old Thomas Sutton—lives with his pretentious, overbearing mother, Hannah Faye Wilkes Sutton (known as “the widow”) in a rural community in Alabama. Other members of the household include an older woman known as Miss Edna, an abandoned young girl known as Esther, and a drunk handyman known as Clyde. Thomas hates his mother, has a not-so-secret crush on Esther, and, like everyone else, adores Miss Edna. Thomas steals Clyde’s whiskey but learns a lot from the old man besides drinking.
Thomas is also tormented by a local bully, a crude teenage boy Thomas rather envies even as he fears him. A preacher with a mysterious past connection to Hannah appears on the scene, apparently summoned by her to become the minister at one of the local churches. But as Thomas slowly begins to suspect, there’s more to it than just Hannah deciding that their church needed a full-time pastor.
The story, set in 1933, takes place in a brief period of time—starting with Thomas’s baptism on Good Friday. But a lot is packed into the few days of the story. The relationship threads and the dark back stories are only gradually revealed and offer a kind of mystery aspect to the unraveling story. While there are no crazy aunts locked in the attic in this Southern Gothic, there are a slew of skeletons in the closets.
From the opening line—“Closer to Mobile than Montgomery, wedged between woods and water, is a place nobody goes”—the mood is evocative, mysterious, often brooding but not depressing. Thomas’ spirit shines with controlled emotion and sharp observational skills. He notes of the preacher’s wife: “She’s probably the oldest, a face like that takes time.” He describes his mother as looking "like a bullfrog on a stump waiting to snatch a fly."
Thomas says of his young life: “More than likely the year will turn out like the last, a combination of fleeting pleasure and lingering doom.” He’s wrong on the prediction, however, that the coming year will be like the last because his world is due for some radical changes.
Delightful and engrossing, with compelling characters, this one is a hidden gem.
The protagonist and narrator—14-year-old Thomas Sutton—lives with his pretentious, overbearing mother, Hannah Faye Wilkes Sutton (known as “the widow”) in a rural community in Alabama. Other members of the household include an older woman known as Miss Edna, an abandoned young girl known as Esther, and a drunk handyman known as Clyde. Thomas hates his mother, has a not-so-secret crush on Esther, and, like everyone else, adores Miss Edna. Thomas steals Clyde’s whiskey but learns a lot from the old man besides drinking.
Thomas is also tormented by a local bully, a crude teenage boy Thomas rather envies even as he fears him. A preacher with a mysterious past connection to Hannah appears on the scene, apparently summoned by her to become the minister at one of the local churches. But as Thomas slowly begins to suspect, there’s more to it than just Hannah deciding that their church needed a full-time pastor.
The story, set in 1933, takes place in a brief period of time—starting with Thomas’s baptism on Good Friday. But a lot is packed into the few days of the story. The relationship threads and the dark back stories are only gradually revealed and offer a kind of mystery aspect to the unraveling story. While there are no crazy aunts locked in the attic in this Southern Gothic, there are a slew of skeletons in the closets.
From the opening line—“Closer to Mobile than Montgomery, wedged between woods and water, is a place nobody goes”—the mood is evocative, mysterious, often brooding but not depressing. Thomas’ spirit shines with controlled emotion and sharp observational skills. He notes of the preacher’s wife: “She’s probably the oldest, a face like that takes time.” He describes his mother as looking "like a bullfrog on a stump waiting to snatch a fly."
Thomas says of his young life: “More than likely the year will turn out like the last, a combination of fleeting pleasure and lingering doom.” He’s wrong on the prediction, however, that the coming year will be like the last because his world is due for some radical changes.
Delightful and engrossing, with compelling characters, this one is a hidden gem.
Displaying 1 of 1 review