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Back to Wando Passo
David Payne has been hailed as "the most gifted American novelist of his generation" ( Boston Globe ) and has been likened to "Pat Conroy or perhaps a Southern John Irving" ( Winston-Salem Journal ). Now, in his new novel, Payne introduces us to Ransom Hill, lead singer of a legendary-but-now-defunct indie rock group who has come to South Carolina to turn over a new leaf. A bighearted artist and a bit of a wild man, Ran knows that his wife Claire's patience with him hangs by a frayed thread. After a five-month separation, he's come south from New York City to rejoin her and their two young children at Wando Passo, Claire's inherited family estate, determined to save his marriage, his family, and himself. Back at Wando Passo, though, things don't proceed according to plan. Claire has taken a job teaching at the local music conservatory, where the dean of the faculty, Marcel Jones, is one of Claire's oldest friends. It's unclear -- to Ran, at least -- whether Claire and Marcel's relationship remains platonic or has evolved, in his absence, in a disturbing new direction. Matters are complicated further when Ran discovers a mysterious black pot of apparent slave manufacture buried on the grounds of Wando Passo. The unearthing of this relic transports Ransom -- and the reader -- back one hundred fifty years into the story of another love triangle at Wando Passo at the height of the Civil War . . . . . . May 1861. Claire's great-great-great grand-mother, Adelaide DeLay, a beautiful thirty-three-year-old "spinster" from a top-drawer Charleston family, arrives at Wando Passo by boat, having made a marriage of convenience to the plantation's future master, Harlan DeLay. As Addie comes down the gangway, she catches the eye of the plantation's steward, Jarry, Harlan's black half brother. Trans-fixed, she sees something in Jarry's eyes "like a question that, once posed, you cannot rest until you have the answer to." In the present, when two eroded skeletons turn up buried in shallow graves, Ransom becomes obsessed with the identities of the bodies and what happened to them. Did the past triangle -- involving Addie, Harlan, and Jarry -- culminate in murder? As his marriage to Claire continues to unravel, Ran begins to wonder whether disturbing echoes of the past are leading him, Marcel, and Claire toward a similar, tragic outcome in the present. A fast-paced adventure story filled with lyrical writing, wicked humor, and unforgettable characters, Back to Wando Passo propels the two love stories, linked by place through time, to a simultaneous crescendo of betrayal, revenge, and redemption, and asks whether the present is doomed to ceaselessly repeat the past -- or if it can sometimes change and redeem it.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published May 23, 2006
8 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
David Payne
6 books36 followersDavid Payne was born in North Carolina and attended the Phillips Exeter Academy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of five novels-- Confessions of a Taoist on Wall Street, Early From the Dance, Ruin Creek, Gravesend Light, Back to Wando Passo--and a memoir, Barefoot to Avalon: A Brother's Story, forthcoming from Grove Atlantic in August 2015. Visit his author website at www.davidpaynebooks.com.
Linda Barrett Osborne, Washington Post Book World:
"[Payne] understands that place most families inhabit-somewhere between love and necessity, between truth and myth, between self and the expectations, the dreams and, ultimately, the separateness of others... Writing this fine evokes a past time, but also a state of boyhood that is timeless."
Linda Barrett Osborne, Washington Post Book World:
"[Payne] understands that place most families inhabit-somewhere between love and necessity, between truth and myth, between self and the expectations, the dreams and, ultimately, the separateness of others... Writing this fine evokes a past time, but also a state of boyhood that is timeless."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 23, 2009
I borrowed this audiobook from the library. I am not enjoying it at all but continue to torture myself by refusing to shut the darn thing off until the last word is read. It's about a selfish, self-absorbed, washed-up, bigoted man who returns home to Wando Passo (his estranged wife's family estate) after he has the epiphany that he still loves his wife. In reality, I think he just didn't know what else to do and had run out of willing women to bed. For some bizarre reason she takes him back even though she doesn't appear to like him very much because he cheated, drank and never provided for them. Maybe she did it for the little kids they share? If it were me I would've let the door hit him square in a*s on the way out but I'm mean like that. Anyway, here he comes all expecting to be greeted with open arms but things don't work out quite that way. They fight, he embarrasses himself with his racial slurs against his wife's best male friend, and they fight some more. The book then flashes back to the wife's ancestors (sorry, I'm horrid with names) who were living at Wando Passo during racial tensions and civil unrest. Here we meet Abigail (or Addi?), a naive new bride who realizes the man she married (without knowing) is quite a beastly man and not in the "cool, he's a werewolf" kind of plot twist either. He's a bigot, jealous of his half black brother and thoroughly unlikable. She's struggling with her mistake and submits to him out of propriety but is filled with dread. The book then alternates back and forth between these two depressing storylines. There is no reprieve and still I continue on . . .
Later: Well, I'm almost glad I plodded on because the characters are rounded out quite a bit more and aren't as one dimensional as they seemed at the beginning of the book. Ran (the washed up loser dad) suffers from bipolar and is off his meds which explains much of his behavior. It is Claire, his wife, who actually becomes a bit more of an unlikable character. Well, it's a toss up really because both of these people do things that annoyed me. A murder mystery and some voodoo/hoodoo/witchcraft is thrown in to liven things up which works for me because all of the daily drama was becoming a bore. Back in the past Addie struggles with life as a plantation owner and faces many ethical dilemmas, including her growing feelings for her husband's half brother. It's pretty engrossing but she too makes choices that annoy me.
I should also note that there is too large section of this book written in another language (Spanish, I think) without a translation. It was difficult to make heads or tails of the scenes because it's been over 20 years since I took Spanish.
Later still: Am finally finished and thoroughly exhausted. The mystery ended as I thought it might and the modern day triangle wasn't as prettied up in the end as I thought it might. Overall a sometimes engrossing, sometimes infuriating read. It's not a book I'd read again by choice.
Later: Well, I'm almost glad I plodded on because the characters are rounded out quite a bit more and aren't as one dimensional as they seemed at the beginning of the book. Ran (the washed up loser dad) suffers from bipolar and is off his meds which explains much of his behavior. It is Claire, his wife, who actually becomes a bit more of an unlikable character. Well, it's a toss up really because both of these people do things that annoyed me. A murder mystery and some voodoo/hoodoo/witchcraft is thrown in to liven things up which works for me because all of the daily drama was becoming a bore. Back in the past Addie struggles with life as a plantation owner and faces many ethical dilemmas, including her growing feelings for her husband's half brother. It's pretty engrossing but she too makes choices that annoy me.
I should also note that there is too large section of this book written in another language (Spanish, I think) without a translation. It was difficult to make heads or tails of the scenes because it's been over 20 years since I took Spanish.
Later still: Am finally finished and thoroughly exhausted. The mystery ended as I thought it might and the modern day triangle wasn't as prettied up in the end as I thought it might. Overall a sometimes engrossing, sometimes infuriating read. It's not a book I'd read again by choice.
April 28, 2017
This book started out slow, but once I got hooked I did not want to put it down. David Payne is an excellent writer and this book did not disappoint.
August 11, 2014
I love the way this book is written, especially the historic sections. I particularly love the work the author put into his research to give an authentic story. It's truly well done. In addition, the vocabulary the author uses, both in the historic and present day sections is pure eloquence. The story is well played linking the present and the past together intricately. The use of poetry the author incorporates to move the story is beautiful. The entire book is a work of poetry and art. I wish more books were written with this much intellect and eloquence. It's a style of writing I hope to achieve myself one date.
November 23, 2013
The story is not your typical Southern dark mystery. There is a strong connection to Cuba, and Palo Mayombe, a religion I'd not heard of until I listened to this book. I did get lost toward the end, and although I listened to the last CD twice, I still wasn't completely sure what had happened.
Although the narration is superb, I found the long speeches (both in English and Spanish) both unlikely, and preachy.
Although the narration is superb, I found the long speeches (both in English and Spanish) both unlikely, and preachy.
September 30, 2009
I finally gave up on this book. I liked the premise: the aging rock star trying to turn his life and marriage around, and the civil war story interspersed with the modern story, but I just couldn't get into it. There are too many books out there to spend time reading something I don't like.
April 21, 2019
I have made it a practice in the last couple of years to circle back and reread some of my favourite novels. I pulled “Back to Wando Passo” of the shelf on that basis and was very glad that I did.
It depicts parallel stories in the present and the past taking place in the southern U.S. In the present, it is the story of musician Ransom Hill and his attempt to reunite with his wife Clare and their two children. Ransom rose from poor country roots to a few years of stardom as the lead in the Ransom Hill Band during which time he met and married Claire who comes from and upper class Charleston family. But his battle with manic depression, which torpedoed his career and his marriage, rises again to thwart him.
In the past, it is the story of Clare’s wealthy ancestors Claire and Adelaide Delay and their marriage which hinges on fragile connections. Slave Jarry, who runs the Delay plantation, is the swing point in their troubled relationship. This narrative spans the civil war years in the U.S. and explores the issue of slavery from both morale and economic perspectives.
The two stories are woven together by Voodoo, Hoodoo and other forms mysticism which came to America in the hearts and minds of the slaves. The impact of this dark spirituality spans and connects the multiple generations involved.
David Payne’s writing is infused with lyricism, vivid imagery and probing character studies. Every page is a delight to read. The sprawling emotions played out make it a difficult book to put down.
Back to Wando Passo is on my top five favourite novels list. I am sure I will come back to it for another read a few years down the line.
It depicts parallel stories in the present and the past taking place in the southern U.S. In the present, it is the story of musician Ransom Hill and his attempt to reunite with his wife Clare and their two children. Ransom rose from poor country roots to a few years of stardom as the lead in the Ransom Hill Band during which time he met and married Claire who comes from and upper class Charleston family. But his battle with manic depression, which torpedoed his career and his marriage, rises again to thwart him.
In the past, it is the story of Clare’s wealthy ancestors Claire and Adelaide Delay and their marriage which hinges on fragile connections. Slave Jarry, who runs the Delay plantation, is the swing point in their troubled relationship. This narrative spans the civil war years in the U.S. and explores the issue of slavery from both morale and economic perspectives.
The two stories are woven together by Voodoo, Hoodoo and other forms mysticism which came to America in the hearts and minds of the slaves. The impact of this dark spirituality spans and connects the multiple generations involved.
David Payne’s writing is infused with lyricism, vivid imagery and probing character studies. Every page is a delight to read. The sprawling emotions played out make it a difficult book to put down.
Back to Wando Passo is on my top five favourite novels list. I am sure I will come back to it for another read a few years down the line.
November 14, 2021
This is a great book - the writer is incredible. If you are looking for a simple mystery, this ain't for you. There are poetry quotes, 2 time periods, racism, slavery, manic psychological issues, love, voodu, the Civil war, and a search for self. It takes place in SC on a rice plantations with a main character wife of the plantation owner) who questions her place in life and then slavery. The modern day part of the story stars a "fallen" rock guitarist who questions his place in life, himself (never good enough? or genius?) and his demons. It's a complex novel. Maybe it starts a bit slowly, but hang in there. "Human life is a condition of oppression, and religion is the search for the release. Everyone alive is after the same thing - it's our commonness, and I believe it's greater than our differences... " The "voodu" parts were well researched, but lost on me. Maybe a bit more information than I neede.
August 15, 2017
Payne is a very good writer. His character development is portrayed by their actions and words; not descriptions. The characters are not endearing, except maybe Addie and the two children, the others, we have no love for. The story is memorable for the voodoo aspect.
November 28, 2025
Multi-layered, complex book to read. Enjoyed the time period, the cross over of the time periods, learning about belief practices among the enslaved persons brought over from Africa and the Southern perspective on the civil war. Unsettling in ways but engaging in others. Good read.
May 16, 2017
Long read, but worth it in the end!
November 15, 2025
I found it really hard to follow
March 3, 2017
African hoodoo, Cuban witches, madness, buried things in the yard raise up the truth in the lives of a married couple haunted by rock and roll. Worth the price of admission just for the long conversations about racism and race history.
December 23, 2014
Sometimes, in a book that attempts to straddle both the past and the present, something gets lost in the translation. Either one of the stories seem to shine more than the other.
But David Payne manages to keep both narratives engaging and full of tension. And, while I was drawn more towards the very unique story of the South Carolina plantation with ties to Cuba, I also enjoyed (if enjoyed is the right word) the slow dissolution of Ran's marriage.
The novel was especially interesting for the obvious historical research that went into the book, giving us insight into attitudes surrounding the Civil War, some of which might be surprising. Deftly woven into the plot, too, are tendrils of Conjure magic, both the good and the bad.
Here were my issues, though:
1. One gratuitous sex scene. Did we really need that in order to understand that Ran and Claire are both intense and sexual people, who are still attracted to each other despite all that has passed between them? (and I write romance novels, so I'm not a prude!)
2. Ran's unraveling didn't ring true. At his heart, he was deeply attached to his family, and to imply that because he's bipolar or even manic would allow him to fall so far as to actually hurt them seemed like a stretch that was deemed necessary for plot tension.
In all, though, Mr. Payne does an amazing job of keeping both narratives interesting, so that the reader is kept paging through to the next installment of both stories. And he does it with language that would make your mama weep:
From behind the dikes, as from a hidden amphitheater, something like a cloud of smoke arises, green smoke shot through with flashing trails of red and yellow fire, and the smoke is birds, and the new sound, the overwhelming sound, is the chittering they make.
Lyrical and yet contemporary, this book is one that will ring through your head like the noise of a large black pot being struck.
But David Payne manages to keep both narratives engaging and full of tension. And, while I was drawn more towards the very unique story of the South Carolina plantation with ties to Cuba, I also enjoyed (if enjoyed is the right word) the slow dissolution of Ran's marriage.
The novel was especially interesting for the obvious historical research that went into the book, giving us insight into attitudes surrounding the Civil War, some of which might be surprising. Deftly woven into the plot, too, are tendrils of Conjure magic, both the good and the bad.
Here were my issues, though:
1. One gratuitous sex scene. Did we really need that in order to understand that Ran and Claire are both intense and sexual people, who are still attracted to each other despite all that has passed between them? (and I write romance novels, so I'm not a prude!)
2. Ran's unraveling didn't ring true. At his heart, he was deeply attached to his family, and to imply that because he's bipolar or even manic would allow him to fall so far as to actually hurt them seemed like a stretch that was deemed necessary for plot tension.
In all, though, Mr. Payne does an amazing job of keeping both narratives interesting, so that the reader is kept paging through to the next installment of both stories. And he does it with language that would make your mama weep:
From behind the dikes, as from a hidden amphitheater, something like a cloud of smoke arises, green smoke shot through with flashing trails of red and yellow fire, and the smoke is birds, and the new sound, the overwhelming sound, is the chittering they make.
Lyrical and yet contemporary, this book is one that will ring through your head like the noise of a large black pot being struck.
July 12, 2015
I had read the original story, Wando Passo, years ago so when I saw this sequel, I had to grab it. I was a little anxious because I am OCD about reading series books in order. I knew I had forgotten some of the details of WP, but it was okay. The author kindly took us back and forth between present and past so it didn't matter after all. I'd have liked a little more of the original information about the pot. But that said, I couldn't put it down. By the way, Wando Passo is set in South Carolina.
March 30, 2015
Narrator Dick Hill can make even a story as melodramatic as this one worth listening to, but had I been reading it on my own I would probably have left it unfinished. It's the tale of two stories that seem to overlap, merge, and fold back on themselves from the point of view of a bipolar, possibly psychotic, has been rocker with too much baggage.
I don't think I will be looking for more works from this author.
I don't think I will be looking for more works from this author.
August 15, 2007
This story is split into two parts: 1) modern time with the story of a has-been rock star who follows his estranged wife and kids to her childhood estate in the South and 2) the people/slaves who worked the estate when it was a plantation in the 1860s. The 1860s part of the story is much more interesting and the characters have much more to say.
January 4, 2011
Not bad...a little confusing at times but deliberately so, I believe, since the protagonist is a person with bipolar disorder who is not taking their meds. There is a parallel plot from a different time period which I found more interesting than the one set in modern day. It took a while to "get into" this book but, once I did, I found it fairly gripping. 3 stars.
September 20, 2011
Read this book several years ago when I got it on loan from the local public library. I'd really like to get a copy of Back to Wando Passo for my personal collection.
I remember loving the book and being unable to put it down as the mystery unfolded in the past and the present.
When I re-read Back to Wando Passo, I will write a more complete review.
I remember loving the book and being unable to put it down as the mystery unfolded in the past and the present.
When I re-read Back to Wando Passo, I will write a more complete review.
December 26, 2011
This is the second book I've read by Payne. I loved it just as much as the first. The chapters switched off between present day and the Civil War following the lives of two families trying to make a life on the Wando Passo plantation. The way Payne weaves the tail of the two worlds leaves you guessing until the very end. Is it a voudou curse or is Ran just plain crazy?
January 18, 2016
If I had edited this book I would have cut it down by one-third. Characters were complex, scenes nicely descriptive, the plot engaging. Switching between present and past deftly done. The writer obviously was familiar with this historical period.
On the other hand, repetition abounded, destroying what might have been effective pace and building tension.
On the other hand, repetition abounded, destroying what might have been effective pace and building tension.
December 12, 2008
David Payne is a master of language and dialogue; i adore him. A novel about the connection between history and the present; deals with racism, sexism, infidelity, first loves, fame, mental illness, magic, death, rebirth.
March 2, 2009
This books fits my usually fun theme of two stories told on a subject across the centuries. While parts were certainly interesting, this was more fluff than substance and I wouldn't necessarily recomment it.
February 10, 2010
This was a well written story, but it got confusing at times. I believe there are ghosts but the storyline got a little far-fetched when it tried to say a character in the present was "acting" just like a character that lived 150 years earlier. I was very confused by the ending.
May 3, 2010
Double mystery, one present day and the other through the civil war - interesting characters, atmospheric Charleston rice plantation, Cuban witchcraft, strong slavery/racial involvement and altogether a pretty wild ride. Try it!
August 4, 2010
L'édition française...
Pas de la grande littérature, mais du plaisir à le lire
J'avais lu d'autres livres du même auteur qui m'avaient beaucoup plu.. Mais je me souviens pas de la qualité de l'écriture pour ces précédents..
Pas de la grande littérature, mais du plaisir à le lire
J'avais lu d'autres livres du même auteur qui m'avaient beaucoup plu.. Mais je me souviens pas de la qualité de l'écriture pour ces précédents..
October 13, 2014
I am really glad I read this book. The prose was beautiful. The characters, while interesting, were not all compelling, with the exceptions of Addie and Jarry. I could have done with less of the voodoo, which confused me.
January 12, 2008
He is no Pat Conroy for sure.
February 9, 2013
This is a great read, especially so if you are familiar with Charleston. It switches between life during the Civil War and current times, following the lives of several families.
February 25, 2008
fairly fun but can be a bit trite. i like the double stories that interrelate (kind of like possession). the writing isn't the best though, and i'd have to say that possession is a much better read.
March 1, 2008
It's been awhile, but from what I can recall, this is a very good book.. I am excited to re-read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews