In the Family Way: A Novel

by Tommy Hays

                                                                      
"Two weeks after my brother Mitchell was killed, my mother finally emerged from her bedroom, hair uncombed, eyes puffy and wide. She said nothing to us, who watched her cross the floor to the bathroom, where she emptied the medicine cabinet. She stepped into the living room holding a waste can full of medicine bottles and announced that she had become a Christian Scientist. . . . I didn't know what Christian Science was, but I could see it had enabled my mother to walk from her bedroom and speak to us, and I was grateful for that."
        
In early 1960s South Carolina, Jeru Lamb is ten years old and trying to come to terms with his brother's death.    He's also trying to understand his mother's conversion to Christian Science, his father's literary ambitions (and       recent calling as "a Waffle House mystic"), the racial landscape of the segregated South, and a new classmate from the wrong side of town who claims to be his half-sister. "It was not lost on me that by expecting the worst every breathing moment, I backed into prophecy once in a while," says Jeru, and when his mother finds herself "in the family way"--against her doctor's orders--Jeru is left to wonder just what he might lose next.

Tommy Hays's first novel, Sam's Crossing , won accolades from critics nationwide. The New York Times Book Review called it "touching and funny--and revealing of the intricate workings of the human heart." The San Francisco Chronicle said it was "witty and engaging . . . [a novel that] explores the risks and rewards--vulnerability, compromise, intimacy and strength--of love." In the Family Way shows the maturation of this talented writer as he depicts, with heartbreaking simplicity, the end of things we love and the extraordinary capacity to begin again. And in Jeru Lamb he has created an engaging young narrator who takes us to the center of his world and its generous secrets.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Camille McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short coming-of-age novel, but one that had some surprises and was really well-written. It takes place in Greenville, South Carolina, a place I've been many times, so I appreciated reading about a location I'm pretty familiar with. I figured I should read a Tommy Hays book since he's a local author, and he didn't disappoint.
I thought I had a pretty clear idea of how the book would go, based on the first few chapters, but I was actually pretty surprised with how it went. I also liked that the main character is not your typical boy but is actually kind of chubby and prone to doing things he can't explain. Religion also plays a large role in the story, but it's not the stereotypical evangelicalism that you might expect from this region - the mother decides she's a Christian Scientist and the father is more of a Buddhist.
Overall, a very good book.

[Virginia Pulver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn to this novel for several reasons. "I didn't know what Christian Science was, but I could see it had enabled my mother to walk from her bedroom and speak to us, and I was grateful for that." The novel, set in upstate SC in the 1960's, captured my interest since I now live in the upstate of SC and I was raised by Christian Scientists who had lost a 12-year-old child. I am about the same age as Jeru Lamb, the young man who narrates this story. I read the book in one sitting. I enjoyed the references to local landmarks and to the culture of that era. The story kept me engaged. The references to Christian Science made me curious about the author's relationship and knowledge of that religion. I was somewhat disappointed it did not play much of a role in the story but grateful it was not ridiculed or maligned, as sometimes is the case among those who have no real knowledge of this religion. Reading about the loss of a child kept me reading. I lived with grieving parents and I am also a parent who lost a son. I appreciate the author's handling of these topics - he is candid, direct, and somehow draws the reader into the world he has created. I will look for the author's other books.

[Suzanne Manners · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book aloud. I spent several weeks reading this with Mr. Knight. In the story, Jeru has lost his brother Mitchell to an accident and the only way his mother can deal with this is to practice the Christian Scientist religion. Mr. Knight has some ideas about this since his parents at one time also followed this belief. Not able to finish this book in one sitting, it seemed that every couple of chapters there was some sort of cliff-hanger in the lives of this fictional family. There were references to sitting at the back of the bus with Della, the family maid. Also JFK was assassinated in the course of the story. I thought Tommy Hays did an excellent job of describing the times and how each character related to their situations. Jeru's mom is having another baby and maybe this is what everyone needs to help heal from sadness, but childbirth is very dangerous for the women in his family. A very addictive book written in a lyrical descriptive way. Great story great characters.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it. Short good novel. A first of this author. Family, growing pangs told from point of view of one of the young sons about his family, obviously

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cant say enough about this book and the poor ending is the reason it didn't get stars. Jeru is 10 years old the main character and the voice of this book. He is being raised in the 60s during segregation (they have Della, their 'negro" maid),Jeru's brother is mauled to death by a dog, mom has converted to Christian Science, dad is a Buddhist and also the father to one of Jeru's classmates...dad has no idea she lives in town, but Jeru does. Those are the main events, but there are more. It sounds like a confusing, muddled, too crammed-packed novel, but the laid back style of Tommy Hays never makes it seem so. The end was anti-climatic and to me just rolled off the curb...and there it laid.

[Tama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the writer speak at our Alamance Reads kick off celebration and also attended his writer's workshop. The book is a bit deeper than "The Pleasure was Mine" and it is interesting. I enjoyed listening to the author talk about his writing and giving advice to writers.

Good book and really enjoyed meeting the author and going to his writers workshop - fabulous! Just keep writing!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for this story set in 1960's South Carolina, where a family loses the oldest son in a tragic accident.

[LInda L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and heartfelt, kind and compassionate. He writes like a dream.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of family crisis.

[Michel Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, heart-warming novel