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Salvation
Slightly malformed, very brilliant, Crane Cavanaugh is born into the world of three former charlatan preachers, two siblings, and a dismal childhood. Eventually adopted by loud, loving Ollie, Crane becomes a budding scientist with a teacher as her mentor, but her abusive childhood left an imprint she has to confront. Salvation is the sometimes funny, sometimes eerie story of the coming of age of Crane Cavanaugh, a budding scientist. Crane narrates her early life with a rich awareness of the natural world and her own precarious spot in it. Raised below the poverty line in Arnold, Iowa, by depraved adults who’ve given up the life of charlatans on the gospel circuit, Crane’s first-person account traces her experiences from disfiguration in the womb to well-deserved elevation in the halls of academe. Along the way, there are surprises and reversals. Crane is separated from the sister and brother who tried to protect her in infancy and assigned by welfare workers to life in a convent. Here, science is taught directly from the Bible. Crane rebels. Her belligerence causes the nuns to put her up for adoption. Reborn as Princess Hopkins by an adoring, middle-class, adoptive mother, Crane develops a satisfying relationship of admiration and respect with a public school science teacher who becomes her mentor. Princess/Crane inhabits parallel worlds, using her scientific precocity and formidable intellect to juggle sobering deficits in nurture, stunted emotional development, and the inevitable disasters that derive from sadomasochistic sexual imprinting―yet she somehow retains an inner continuity that remains unfazed, unjudgmental, and cheerful. Witty and richly intelligent, arch and earnest, Salvation has a Dickensian narrative reach, an empathetic heart, and a naturalist's eye for both the vagaries and the logic of human nature.
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 11, 2008
Crane Cavanaugh, the central character in Lucia Nevai's novel Salvation, is the kind of character that will remind you to count your blessings; that as bad as things are they could be worse.
Crane's mother, a prostitute living with two former charlatan evangelists/revivalists, tried to end her life in the womb and fails to provide for her in almost every conceivable way after she survives. She lives, along with her half-siblings "Jima" and "Little Duck", in a squatters shack in rural Iowa trying to scrounge up enough food to live.
As you might imagine, this leaves her with some significant emotional and psychological damage to overcome. She does seem to have, however, a mind attuned to math and science; a useful tool to avoid the cruelty that surrounds her.
Eventually her mother's activities lead to her being seized by the state. After a short time spent in a convent, she is then adopted by a couple who happen to live in the now developed area surrounding the shack. Her adopted parents - churchgoing Methodists named Ollie and Ray Hopkins - don't know the darker secrets of Crane's past, but Ollie nevertheless attempts to give Crane, now christened Princess, a normal life; or something approaching normalcy anyways.
But all of the love and care provided by the Hopkins' can't hide Crane's past and eventually it comes bubbling up and wrecks havoc with Ollie's best laid plans.
I have a hard time describing Salvation. PW describes it as a "meditation on chance, identity and circumstance" and credits Nevai with creating "a cast of sympathetic, memorable grotesques." And I suppose this is an accurate literary description.
I suppose it is the rather common technique of exaggerating certain events and characteristics in order to think about larger themes. And Nevai certainly touches on aspects of chance and identity. What would happen if you took a largely abandoned and abused child like Crane and put her in an odd but stable and loving home? Could she overcome that past and blend in? It is the old nature versus nurture debate.
But for me the larger themes involved never quite came together. (In addition to chance and identity there seems to be some exploration of faith and science as well. After all, Crane grew up with people involved in evangelism even if it was of the charlatan variety. And despite the crucial role of science in her survival and success academically, she makes her peace with the faith of the Hopkins.) All of these ideas seem to swirl around in the background, but I didn't find any of them particular clear or insightful.
What I enjoyed about Salvation was the writing. Nevai skillfully balances the bizarre with the everyday. She has a way of bringing out the way life often lands somewhere in between. Crane is a unique character, with some elements of the grotesque, but Nevai manages to pull it off with believability and poignancy. With a strong start she immediately pulls the reader into Crane's word and forget about the fantastical or macabre nature of the story. She also brings a sharp wit and a lightness to the writing despite the at times ugly nature of the events involved.
The secondary characters, and the Iowa setting itself, are all developed enough to add to the story without seeming like loose ends or distractions. Crane is the voice that carries the story but the other aspects are not caricatures or mere props. One gets a sense not just of Crane but of the community she is a part of and the time period in which the story is set. Despite its short length - 240 pages - the story doesn't feel thin.
If there was one aspect that had a tendency to cause the story to drag for me, it was the narrative that focused on Crane's ant science project. Clearly, Nevai was comparing and contrasting the way Crane felt comfortable and competent in the world of scientific observation but not in normal social settings; and perhaps commenting on the differences and similarities between ant and human development. But these extended reports on the progress of the project were distracting to me. Maybe I missed some larger context or point.
Salvation was certainly not the typical type of book I read, but I enjoyed it and found the writing to be strong even if I didn't find the various themes all that compelling.
Crane's mother, a prostitute living with two former charlatan evangelists/revivalists, tried to end her life in the womb and fails to provide for her in almost every conceivable way after she survives. She lives, along with her half-siblings "Jima" and "Little Duck", in a squatters shack in rural Iowa trying to scrounge up enough food to live.
As you might imagine, this leaves her with some significant emotional and psychological damage to overcome. She does seem to have, however, a mind attuned to math and science; a useful tool to avoid the cruelty that surrounds her.
Eventually her mother's activities lead to her being seized by the state. After a short time spent in a convent, she is then adopted by a couple who happen to live in the now developed area surrounding the shack. Her adopted parents - churchgoing Methodists named Ollie and Ray Hopkins - don't know the darker secrets of Crane's past, but Ollie nevertheless attempts to give Crane, now christened Princess, a normal life; or something approaching normalcy anyways.
But all of the love and care provided by the Hopkins' can't hide Crane's past and eventually it comes bubbling up and wrecks havoc with Ollie's best laid plans.
I have a hard time describing Salvation. PW describes it as a "meditation on chance, identity and circumstance" and credits Nevai with creating "a cast of sympathetic, memorable grotesques." And I suppose this is an accurate literary description.
I suppose it is the rather common technique of exaggerating certain events and characteristics in order to think about larger themes. And Nevai certainly touches on aspects of chance and identity. What would happen if you took a largely abandoned and abused child like Crane and put her in an odd but stable and loving home? Could she overcome that past and blend in? It is the old nature versus nurture debate.
But for me the larger themes involved never quite came together. (In addition to chance and identity there seems to be some exploration of faith and science as well. After all, Crane grew up with people involved in evangelism even if it was of the charlatan variety. And despite the crucial role of science in her survival and success academically, she makes her peace with the faith of the Hopkins.) All of these ideas seem to swirl around in the background, but I didn't find any of them particular clear or insightful.
What I enjoyed about Salvation was the writing. Nevai skillfully balances the bizarre with the everyday. She has a way of bringing out the way life often lands somewhere in between. Crane is a unique character, with some elements of the grotesque, but Nevai manages to pull it off with believability and poignancy. With a strong start she immediately pulls the reader into Crane's word and forget about the fantastical or macabre nature of the story. She also brings a sharp wit and a lightness to the writing despite the at times ugly nature of the events involved.
The secondary characters, and the Iowa setting itself, are all developed enough to add to the story without seeming like loose ends or distractions. Crane is the voice that carries the story but the other aspects are not caricatures or mere props. One gets a sense not just of Crane but of the community she is a part of and the time period in which the story is set. Despite its short length - 240 pages - the story doesn't feel thin.
If there was one aspect that had a tendency to cause the story to drag for me, it was the narrative that focused on Crane's ant science project. Clearly, Nevai was comparing and contrasting the way Crane felt comfortable and competent in the world of scientific observation but not in normal social settings; and perhaps commenting on the differences and similarities between ant and human development. But these extended reports on the progress of the project were distracting to me. Maybe I missed some larger context or point.
Salvation was certainly not the typical type of book I read, but I enjoyed it and found the writing to be strong even if I didn't find the various themes all that compelling.
October 25, 2010
This book was beautifully written. It reminded me of My Happy Life, by Lydia Millet, which is one of my favorite books.
Crane is aware that her life is difficult, and as the book goes on, realizes that she and her siblings live differently than other people. Nevai does a great job of giving the reader more information as Crane grows up and encounters new people and situations.
Crane's life is dismal, but the book doesn't feel oppressive or depressing. It's streaked with dark humor, and the loving portrayals of some of the characters keeps the book riveting. Even characters who don't deserve sympathy receive it.
Crane is aware that her life is difficult, and as the book goes on, realizes that she and her siblings live differently than other people. Nevai does a great job of giving the reader more information as Crane grows up and encounters new people and situations.
Crane's life is dismal, but the book doesn't feel oppressive or depressing. It's streaked with dark humor, and the loving portrayals of some of the characters keeps the book riveting. Even characters who don't deserve sympathy receive it.
May 18, 2017
Salvation, Lucia Nevai
This is an exquisitely told story about the struggles and triumphs of a young girl raised in squalor by abusive, absent parents in rural Iowa. Crane is a character not soon forgotten. Her voice is humorous and eloquent even while describing the crazy circumstances of her life. Crane is both ignored and abused by her three parents, failed evangelists living in a shack outside Des Moines. Besides the wife, girlfriend and father, Crane is the youngest of three children. Her older sister takes care of her. None of the children are sent to school, they get very little to eat and almost no parental interaction other then being preached at and lots of other verbal abuse. As the suburb grows up around their shack, the children are quietly cared for by some of their neighbors. However, there comes a point when the children are removed from the home and Crane is separated from her sister, brother and parents. What follows is Crane's placement with some nuns, her first schooling, and then eventually adoption by a childless couple. Most stunning of all is Crane's academic ability - it turns out she's a genius who flies through school and becomes obsessed with ant life (I suppose it is a metaphor for her own life where her mother is queen and all serve her). Stunning language, great descriptions of Crane's continued social failure, and enchanting supporting characters. Really enjoyed this.
This is an exquisitely told story about the struggles and triumphs of a young girl raised in squalor by abusive, absent parents in rural Iowa. Crane is a character not soon forgotten. Her voice is humorous and eloquent even while describing the crazy circumstances of her life. Crane is both ignored and abused by her three parents, failed evangelists living in a shack outside Des Moines. Besides the wife, girlfriend and father, Crane is the youngest of three children. Her older sister takes care of her. None of the children are sent to school, they get very little to eat and almost no parental interaction other then being preached at and lots of other verbal abuse. As the suburb grows up around their shack, the children are quietly cared for by some of their neighbors. However, there comes a point when the children are removed from the home and Crane is separated from her sister, brother and parents. What follows is Crane's placement with some nuns, her first schooling, and then eventually adoption by a childless couple. Most stunning of all is Crane's academic ability - it turns out she's a genius who flies through school and becomes obsessed with ant life (I suppose it is a metaphor for her own life where her mother is queen and all serve her). Stunning language, great descriptions of Crane's continued social failure, and enchanting supporting characters. Really enjoyed this.
December 19, 2017
I loved the storytelling though so much of the book was heartbreaking. The narrator isn’t looking for pity about everything that happened to her in her very odd childhood, awful in many ways but rich in the family lore.
The shack they live in ends up as a drift of a property in a development sprung from a man made lake. The developer proves to be the most caring adult they encounter in these early years. They being three siblings of a sort.
This neighborhood of Lake Mary won’t go away for the narrator. Not just their shack, the lake but all the people who made it, who lived there and even the railroad tracks near it, the wheat fields that came before it existed.
The shack they live in ends up as a drift of a property in a development sprung from a man made lake. The developer proves to be the most caring adult they encounter in these early years. They being three siblings of a sort.
This neighborhood of Lake Mary won’t go away for the narrator. Not just their shack, the lake but all the people who made it, who lived there and even the railroad tracks near it, the wheat fields that came before it existed.
January 26, 2019
Lovely writing and a bildungsroman with a twist kept me up reading to see what other misadventures would befall our quirky, brilliant, and strangely likable protagonist.
December 29, 2010
Lucia Nevai’s “Salvation” is a story that is so depressing with such messed up characters that I just couldn’t put it down. The story is told from the point of view of Crane Cavanaugh, who was born despite a botched abortion attempt, to a mother who is a whore. Crane’s mother moves into a shack, where she becomes a squatter with a couple and their two children. This group becomes somewhat of a family that picks up odd jobs and preaches. The three children are forced to band together against a life of abuse and neglect.
Crane’s life drastically changes, when child welfare steps in and separates the children. The book is really about adults having their own agenda; regardless of whether or not ultimately benefits the children that are in their care. Also, it shows the cycle of abuse, in both the adults and the children. Everyone in this book has major issues.
I liked Nevai’s style and would look for her books in the future. I found parts to be a bit tedious, especially the pages and pages of ant behavior. I think she could easily write a follow up to this book, with the same characters. I would love to know more about Jima.
Final note…I am a sucker for any book that has anything to do with carnivals and tent revivals! This book had a bit of both!
Final-Final Note…this book was also a Tin House publication, which is almost always an automatic win!
Crane’s life drastically changes, when child welfare steps in and separates the children. The book is really about adults having their own agenda; regardless of whether or not ultimately benefits the children that are in their care. Also, it shows the cycle of abuse, in both the adults and the children. Everyone in this book has major issues.
I liked Nevai’s style and would look for her books in the future. I found parts to be a bit tedious, especially the pages and pages of ant behavior. I think she could easily write a follow up to this book, with the same characters. I would love to know more about Jima.
Final note…I am a sucker for any book that has anything to do with carnivals and tent revivals! This book had a bit of both!
Final-Final Note…this book was also a Tin House publication, which is almost always an automatic win!
December 2, 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although at first I wasn’t sure why. It is a gritty story of a girl raised in abject poverty in rural Iowa, along with her half-siblings. The parents are bizarre but oddly believable—a devout woman, a swindler-and-charlatan-preacher father, and a prostitute.
Crane’s life is mostly heartbreaking but throughout there is a sense of hope because one knows from the outset that she rises out of her disadvantaged situation. Probably this is why I liked it. In the end, it seems sort of predictable, but then again, I have no experience with rural poverty, so what would I know about it? It’s fascinating to me how an author can make characters and situations so tangible that fiction reads like non-fiction.
Crane’s life is mostly heartbreaking but throughout there is a sense of hope because one knows from the outset that she rises out of her disadvantaged situation. Probably this is why I liked it. In the end, it seems sort of predictable, but then again, I have no experience with rural poverty, so what would I know about it? It’s fascinating to me how an author can make characters and situations so tangible that fiction reads like non-fiction.
May 2, 2010
I picked this book because of its (central) Iowa setting, but I admit I was prepared to discount it because it's the typical coming-of-age-amid- extreme-dysfunction story, but it grew on me, especially in the second half, after our young narrator alternates between telling us about her doting adoptive mother's persistent attempts to "improve" her social, especially dating, life and accounts of her systematic scientific observations of ants. This stands out for its poetic writing, too, though until I got used to it I thought it was occasionally overwritten.
April 26, 2009
Dark, luscious survival of the fittest tale, with each of three siblings surviving a brutally negligent upbringing in their own way. Little Duck survived through good looks. Jima survived through liquor and by being needed to help sustain her sister’s life. Crane survived through her intellect, which sometimes meant appearing dull-witted, though she was anything but. Highly recommended.
August 27, 2008
Although I have nothing bad to say about this book, I don't have much good to say either. It sort-of reminded me of a ghetto THE GLASS CASTLE.
Failed abortion leaves child disfigures. Parents are whacked and super poor. Child is brilliant and exceeds everyone's expectations.
Failed abortion leaves child disfigures. Parents are whacked and super poor. Child is brilliant and exceeds everyone's expectations.
January 8, 2009
This novel follows the life of the prodigious protagonist, Crane Cavanaugh. From her own conception to the birth of her career in the academic sciences, the reader ricochets from chuckles to incredulous empathy for Crane as she passively undergoes transformations.
July 16, 2011
I picked up this book off of a coffee table while on vacation at a beach house and couldnt put it down. It was so grueling and depressing but humerous at times...i just wanted more and more. I loved how Lucia Nevai began narrating as a newborn drug addicted baby.
September 17, 2014
Very strange start, but the middle gets really good and sucks you in. I was a tad bit disappointed by the end, but overall, it was worth the read.
December 17, 2008
Though the way it quickly resolved at the end was off-putting. . .
August 31, 2009
I loved this book. Smart, funny and compelling.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews