Bloodroot (Vintage Contemporaries)

Amy Greene's Bloodroot is a mystical, dark tale of one family's hard living and back luck on Bloodroot Mountain. The story is told from several different perspectives, but the focus of the book is Myra Odom, a girl/woman with "haint" blue eyes and the power to draw people to her. Greene divides the novel into several sections, each defined by the narrators. We first hear from Myra's grandmother Byrdie, whose narrative was soulful and charming. Byrdie sets the somewhat foreboding tone of the book, hinting from the start that something bad happens in Myra's life, but not quite fully fleshing out the narrative. That is the method that Greene uses throughout the book - telling the story from multiple perspectives, none of them telling the whole story, but each telling what they went through. I really liked this effect. The first part of the book is also narrated by Doug, another boy who lives on Bloodroot mountain is in love with Myra and is bitter as she drifts away as a result of her relationship with the handsome but bad John Odom. We never hear the story from John Odom, Myra's teenage lover and eventual husband and tormentor, but his role in the book is somewhat like J.R. from Dallas - you know that season which was dominated by "Who shot J.R.?" to some extent the theme that drives this book forward is - what happened to John Odom? The second part of the book is narrated by Myra's twins - son Johnny Odom and daughter Laura. Through the twins we learn of Myra's descent into mental illness after their father disappears and the effect of this on the twins. The third section of the book is narrated by Myra herself. At this point, we have heard about Myra from the people that love her most in the world. I really loved the Myra section of the book because it was truly poetic. She has such a mystical, mixed up voice. Finally, in the epilogue we hear from John Odom and to some extent the mysteries of the book are cleared up. As I said before, this book has a really foreboding and dark tone, which really stayed with me after I finished it. It was one of those books I was really sad when it was over. [...]

I do a lot of genealogical research and my father's paternal line is from the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina through Eastern Tennessee with Melungeon roots, and my mother paternal line is ODOM and BLEVINS in Tennessee so I ran into this book while researching those lines and all that, and especially trying to get a feel for the mountain people of the Newman's Ridge area. I had encountered some fiction doing this research, and BLOODROOT came to my attention. As the book had excellent reviews I immediately logged in AMAZON to check it out. I ordered it and what happened was a wonderfully crafted fiction novel came into my possession.Reading, I heard the way's of expression, and much of the ways of thinking of my relatives, now long passed.And I was enthralled by the descriptions of the mountain.I have hiked the AT (Appalachian Trail) for years spending weeks with the semitropical rains and mists, the wet-moss and rock of the water trails and springs cascading always, and the sheer rock wall that are navigated - while on the open side is a drop of hundreds of feet and a clear view to the houses and roads seemingly a thousand miles below . And the joy of the sudden unexplained 'bald' or meadows that are encountered are a special surprise in the Smokies. And those mysterious winds that seemingly live and roam in higher altitudes, It's all depicted in BLOODROOT,It's roughly based on families in poverty struggling, and a depiction of the toughness required to endure.But the well crafted dialect and raw edged scenery is just icing on the cake. The plot is a bitter baker's-chocolate batter with familiar but sour spices, The people struggle and the families seem cursed. The magic the mountain people believe and use is crafted into the recipe like a hot chutney jelly.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED,

Bloodroot is spellbinding. I loved it. Narrated by different characters throughout the Lamb family's history from the Great Depression to the present, it is a story of magic and madness, blessings and curses. The story is named after a rare flower that grows on the mountain, known for both its healing properties and poison.We meet Myra Odom, the center of the story, along with Byrdie Lamb, her grandmother; Douglas Cotter, Myra's neighbor and friend; her children, Johnny and Laura; and John Odom, the man whom Myra marries. It is a testament to Greene's writing that we won't easily forget these characters.The different narrators didn't bother me; in fact, I enjoyed reading the various viewpoints. That's saying something, because sometimes that sort of thing does bother me. I thought it was really interesting how the character of Myra, who seems so compelling and magnetic (almost mythical) when described by the other characters, seems so ordinary when we read her section. I recall one character saying "She's made out of flesh and blood, just like anybody else." Myra's story is touching and sad. At one point, she says "Time is different on the mountain. It stretches out longer. I used to always know what year it was, and how old I would be on my next birthday. But, like names, it seems less important now."The story of this family in Appalachia and what they go through over the years is heartbreaking at times, but it's handled in such a beautiful way by the author. You really feel like you are there in the story; you see the mountain and you can picture the characters. It's emotional without being sappy or maudlin. I thought the ending was amazing. The various threads of the story come together through the voice of John Odom in a memorable look at love in the heart of a deeply flawed man.When I finished Bloodroot, I felt a little lost. I wanted to be back under its spell.

This book is an emotional page turner. I missed the characters when I finished the book and will be looking for more of Amy Greene.