Bear Me Safely Over [Paperback]

Sheri Joseph (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2003

With a distinctive voice, Sheri Joseph's remarkably assured debut explores the interior lives of two Georgia families soon to be linked by a marriage, and though it tackles dark themes -- the menace of homophobia, the splintering of families, the discordant voice of religious fundamentalism -- at its core is a hopeful portrait of the different and often elusive faces of salvation. Sidra and Curtis, two twenty-somethings who impulsively decide to make their relationship permanent, form an arch that connects their fractured families. Sidra has already lost a sister to the fatal allure of drugs, and now Curtis's young gay stepbrother, Paul, a lonely and defiant outsider, seems to be drifting out of control. As Paul tests the boundaries of his world and explores his sexuality, Curtis can hardly control his homophobic rage, while Sidra reacts with an overwhelming need to protect him. By the book's exquisite conclusion, no character is left untouched by the challenge of having to choose between guiding and thwarting troubled souls in their precarious passage toward firmer ground. Sheri Joseph fashions a subtle and affecting exploration of the sacrifices we must make to be our brothers' keepers, and the consequences of refusing to do so.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The lives of two troubled Georgia families intersect in Joseph's debut novel, a gutsy, realistic and lyrical portrait of country people struggling to find meaning in their constricted lives. The narrative touches on many contemporary issues, including AIDS, homophobia, racism and religious fundamentalism, while chronicling several problematic love relationships. Horse trainer Sidra Ballard is the tough, beautiful 20-something protagonist in love with Curtis, a redneck homophobic bass player in a local band. Though an unlikely pair, the two can't keep their hands off each other and decide to marry. But relationship trouble comes in the form of Curtis's younger step-brother, Paul, a troubled homosexual teen with a penchant for picking up older men. Curtis is disgusted by Paul's behavior, but Sidra, who earlier lost a sister to AIDS, longs to protect Paul. Meanwhile Kent, a member of Curtis's band, is unexpectedly attracted to Paul and a love affair begins between the two men. A large cast of characters takes turns narrating the story, their identities often obscure to the reader, who must concentrate to distinguish them. Joseph works hard at making all of them sympathetic despite their limited views of the world and their inbred prejudices. Her prose can be stiff in places, but the chorus of voices eventually coalesces into an affecting narrative that explores the way people accept or reject the responsibilities of nurturing and love.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Pushcart Prize nominee Joseph aims for a winner with this debut about two quirky Southern families brought together by marriage.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (March 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802139841
• ISBN-13: 978-0802139849
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,024,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sheri Joseph's latest novel is Stray, winner of the Grub Street National Book Prize. An unconventional love triangle leads to murder in this tale set in Atlanta. Two of Stray's central characters also appear in Joseph' first book, Bear Me Safely Over, a cycle of stories about two Georgia families being joined by marriage, which was a Book Sense 76 selection in both hardcover and paperback.

Joseph was awarded a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts fellowship for the first chapter of her next novel, currently in progress, which is set in Costa Rica.

Her short fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals including The Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, Shenandoah, Virginia Quarterly Review, Prairie Schooner and Other Voices and in the anthologies Birds in the Hand (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux) and After O'Connor: Stories from Contemporary Georgia (University of Georgia Press). Her work has been a finalist for the Townsend Prize, Lambda award, and the National Magazine Award, among others. A resident of Atlanta, she teaches in the creative writing program at Georgia State University and serves as fiction editor of Five Points.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Beautiful, Unusual Book, April 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bear Me Safely Over (Hardcover)

I read a rave review that made me run out and buy this one, and I was not disappointed. I cant remember when Ive read such an impressive book by a first-time writer. Its told in multiple voices and moves freely over time, in a way that leads to a surprisingly round, lush understanding of the lives of the characters. I fell in love with Paul, an utterly convincing gay teenager trapped in a backwater Georgia town. Though he struggles with prejudice and an internalized religious shame, he never questions who he is or suffers through any predictable angst over sex. Hes flawed: selfish, bold to the verge of promiscuity, capable of hurting people who care about him. But Joseph shows that these are necessary defenses in his unsheltered world, and that Paul does the best he can to create himself from scratch and survive without guidance. His struggle is deeply affecting. Other characters take the stage more briefly but convey memorable glimpses of the larger narrative while letting us in on the fascinating, sometimes hilarious, stories of their own obsessions and foibles. The prose is meticulous, melodic, varied to fit each character in the collage. This is a talented young writer. I cant wait for her next book (and I really hope she will revisit some of the same characters because I miss them already!).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars contemplative exploration of saddened, disconnected people, October 9, 2003

By 

Bruce J. Wasser (Lake Bluff, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bear Me Safely Over (Paperback)

There is much to admire in Sheri Joseph's serious, contemplative debut novel, "Bear Me Safely Over." In a series of interrelated short stories, her characters sift through broken dreams, misdirected anger and fragile, evolving relationships. Ms. Joseph directs her energies to exploring the different perspectives men and women bring to loving each other, how homosexuality confirms and contradicts societal expectations and in what ways do children bring joy and anguish to their parents. "Bear Me" treats identity loss, existential despair and social intolerance with uncommon dignity and depth.

Although each character develops a distinct and believable personality, the two step-brothers, Curtis and Paul, rivet the reader's attention. It is through their dynamic that "Bear Me" creates dramatic tension and thematic resolution. Both men are broken and searching. The manly Curtis despises and is threatened by his step-brother Paul's promiscuous homosexuality. The former never achieves clarity as to exactly what his feelings are: rage, envy, frustration and revulsion compete with attraction, jealousy and acceptance. In turn, Paul wears his sexuality like Joseph's coat of many colors. At once deeply monogamous in attitude, he flaunts his numerous sexual partners in the face of both parents and his one consuming love. He is a broken young man, acutely aware of his familial status, despondent at the repressive, regressive rural Georgia social environment in which he must survive, shattered that he is not able to connect with Curtis.

As one of the women in "Bear Me" tartly notes, "Men aren't always fixable." This becomes one of the central metaphors of the novel. Paul's loving step-mother, perhaps the only older character who truly yearns to embrace him, is repulsed by Paul's tormentors, who "give her the creeps." These oft-violent cruel homophobes, "contained, self-righteous, humorless," include her own son, Curtis. This knowledge buries her under an intolerable weight of guilt and responsibility, yet she is unable to either reach Curtis or repair his own frozen heart. Nor can Curtis' vibrant, independent fiance, Sidra, control events with any more talent. Despite her open and refreshing friendship with Paul, one crafted to assuage the hurt of her own broken heart, she cannot open Curtis to the possibility of connection with Paul.

The structure of "Bear Me Safely Over" tends to diminish its power, however. Each chapter is told through a different character's point of view. While this provides a refreshing and dynamic series of perceptions to the narrative, it also saps the novel of cohesion and energy. Much of "Bear Me" reads as self-contained short stories, interlinked but independent. Nevertheless, this minor qualm pales in comparison to the integrity and beauty of Sheir Joseph's writing. Her brave examination of the dangers and possibilities of loving relationships has no easy answers, no pat resolution. It does, however, illuminate the terrible consequences of spurning affection and rejecting hope.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling characters and elegant writing make a great read, September 29, 2002

By 

Allan Brain (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bear Me Safely Over (Hardcover)

This is a novel told from the perspectives of each of its main characters, plus a few others. Though most of the reviews in the press seem to think that Paul, the seventeen year old gay character, is the main one, I am not sure about that. Not that it matters; perhaps he is the one that most readers would care about the most.

I think the main character is Sydra, who is in the middle of almost all the other characters' interactions and tries her best to mediate. (But maybe I think this because I am a middle child and that is supposedly the role of such people--though Sydra is not the middle child here.) She is dealing with a homophobic boyfriend who is Paul's stepbrother, a mother who is grieving over Sydra's dead younger sister, and Paul's new lover, who is in a rock band with Paul's homophobic stepbrother.

The story is set in rural Georgia in the '80s. I found a few things missing. For one, perhaps some reference to the so-called Atlanta child murders, especially in connection with Paul's black friend who is also gay and hitchhikes, as Paul does. The other thing missing is a chapter about Paul's relations in high school. There is a brilliant chapter about the religious enthusiasm of evangelical Christians and how young people get caught up in that. And another one portrays the frustration of Paul's stepmother who doesn't understand his "lifestyle". But another character/friend who is Paul's age, straight or gay, male or female, would have improved the book, I think.

Perhaps the most puzzling thing about the book is that the Paul character is portrayed as a promiscuous little slut, seeking meaningless sexual encounters in parks, rest stops, restrooms, etc. I don't find that believable, as I don't think that most gay people are like that, and it certainly does not make this character more likable. It borders on stereotyping. Paul's attempts to explain his behavior are not convincing.

Since Sydra's younger sister has died of AIDS, I kept thinking that there would be some kind of tension about this issue, maybe from a close friend who is the same age as Paul. Yet despite his evident intelligence and talents, he doesn't seem to have friends other than his family and their friends, so we do not get their perspectives on him.

As it is, a lot is left to the imagination, which is not necessarily a criticism. One does get to know the characters well enough to imagine what is not explained, for the most part.

The writing is elegant, yet simple. Despite the reservations I express above, I highly recommend the book.