Pat Conroy overcomplicates the South
Pat Conroy
Sold out. Wed., Aug. 19, 7 p.m. Day Chapel, Carter Center, 453 Freedom Parkway. 404-420-5100. www.acappellabooks.com.The title South of Broad, Pat Conroy's first novel in nearly 15 years, refers to the informal name given to a section of Charleston, S.C., almost exclusively inhabited for generations by the city's de facto aristocracy. Living south of Broad is a point of pride for Conroy's hero, Leopold Bloom King. Leo comes from truly common stock. His father is a science teacher; his mom a former nun. Leo, however, sees himself reflected in the neighborhood's gorgeous cityscape. The fact that he's also the ringleader of an audaciously diverse group of friends suggests a kind of redemption for this former seat of the Confederacy. It's a well-intentioned moral that could have been more affecting if South of Broad didn't fall apart at the end.
South of Broad begins with the suicide of Leo's older brother Stephen in the late ’60s. The 10-year-old's death nearly destroys Leo. His parents send him to a sanitarium where he experiences psychological horrors only a handful of people might ever understand. Leo manages to befriend other damaged psyches, though, and together they grow up, grow apart, and reunite in an attempt to save one of their own from a dark end. Most of the novel comprises episodes that illustrate and re-illustrate how people of such diverse backgrounds could become lifelong friends. And how friendships like theirs could withstand unfathomable acts of pure evil. Unfortunately, Conroy's band of brothers and sisters proves fairly cumbersome.
There's Ike: He becomes the city's first black police chief. The twins, Sheba and Trevor Poe: Sheba grows up to be a Hollywood bombshell, while Trevor, the group's lone gay, becomes a pianist. Betty, Niles and Starla are orphans. Betty, who's black, marries Ike. Starla goes insane and her brother Niles marries Fraser Rutledge, a descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Fraser's brother, Chad, marries Molly, another south of Broad elite. Leo, meanwhile, marries Starla and grows up to be a gossip columnist for Charleston's daily newspaper.
The friends reference their differences incessantly and the exchanges often come across like canned sitcom dialogue: "'Sheba, ride in my squad car with me. Betty, you ride with that cream-puff white boy.' 'Not until I give this girl a hug,'" Betty says, turning toward Sheba. "'Hey Sheba, how's my favorite white bitch?'" As a result, both readers and characters rarely have a chance to deeply explore issues. The gang gets together often and gets drunk often. Come to think of it, that happens a lot in Charleston. Such superficiality and emotional distance, however, make the friendships and their implied values difficult to accept.
Sheba and Trevor's father is the face of evil in Conroy's imagined world. He beats his wife, rapes his children, murders indiscriminately and even eats his own feces. He's also a master of disguise who stalks Sheba all the way to Hollywood. He then tracks the whole gang to San Francisco where they've gone to save Trevor, who's living in a flophouse and dying of AIDS. Dad trails them back to Charleston and threatens to kill everyone. But this narrative thread ends with a whimper rather than a bang, perhaps because there's something even worse awaiting Leo than a cartoonish evil-doer. But this I won't discuss for fear of disappointing Conroy fans. I'll let him do that on his own.
South of Broad by Pat Conroy. Nan A. Talese/Doubleday. $29.95. 516 pp.
COMMENTS
RE: Pat Conroy overcomplicates the South
Posted by R Martty on 09.15.09 @ 05:14 PM
I agree with the Book Review above. I thought there was too mich angst.too many racist relationships, too much disgusting stuff such as vomit, feces, aids, none of it my impression of Charlston..I would be surprised if people in Charleston are still speaking to Conroy. This book, along with "Beach Music" in my opinion is just "off the wall"..I loved "Prince of Tides, "The Great Santini" and all the others..I especially liked the stories Pat Conroy told in the Pat Conroy cookbook..those were real stories, and you could get to know the real Conroy..that is what he should write about. I love Pat Conroy,..he could get in your heart, your mind..but he has better novels than "South of Broad".
RE: Pat Conroy overcomplicates the South
Posted by kbain16@yahoo.com on 08.22.09 @ 01:31 AM
As a true fan of Pat, I must say that I identify w/your description of the "canned dialogue". While Pat's description of Charleston is lovely, his finale wonderful, I was deeply disappointed w/the dialogue. I think Pat Conroy is truly at his best when he is in the narrative prose. I saw him at the Carter Center the other night in Atlanta. He was awesome, witty and down to earth and quite frankly, truly charming. Perhaps he tried to encapture too many characters in the book?
Was that why the dialogue was so cliche? During the dialogue (especially in San Fran) I just felt everything was so perfect and too wrapped up - like a dime novel. Definitely not the Pat I have grown to love! But yet again, his narrative portions were absolutely the Pat we love and adore... Nonetheless, I still maintain that he is nipping at Steinbeck's heels. A true Southern Author...