Customer Reviews

The Best People in the World: A Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tussing presents us with a trio of characters, each with a gnawing desire for change and adulthood, during the period of quintessential idealism and loosening morals of the 1970s. Thomas, longing for manhood and a place of his own; Alice, needing to belong somewhere and never quite fitting in and Shiloh, the anarchist, yearning for a sense of family, of love. These hugely diverse friends chance upon curious adventures as they disappear from their small town late at night and end up as 'squatters' living in an abandoned Vermont home. A wonderful, twisting story of love, freedom, despair and growth. A story that grabbed me from page one!

I really hoped this was gonna be a good one. Its about a teenage boy who has an affair with his teacher and they runaway with an eccentric anarchist. It sounds entertaining. The plot is interesting. The writing is decent. The problem is that Tussing is horrible at writing and developing characters. They are so flat. It would probably make a good movie but its not enough to make a good book.

Thomas Mahey feels the literal and figurative walls around him. As the narrator of Justin Tussing's debut novel, The Best People in the World, Thomas takes us with him on his search for freedom.

It is 1972. Thomas is a 17-year-old living in Paducah, Kentucky, a town with a 20-foot high floodwall erected to protect it from the Ohio River. He feels similar walls forming around his life. In the summer before his junior year of high school, his father gets him a job at the local power plant, the same place his father labors much of his life. A self-described "second-tier" student, Thomas is in the vocational program, not the "standard curriculum." It reinforces his sense that his future is being circumscribed. Yet the events of the summer and school year soon lead him on a journey of reinvention.

One summer evening, Thomas happens to meet the man his father calls "the king of the river rats." Shiloh Tanager, who calls himself an anarchist, lives in a shack he built in the floodplain. He is the legendary, almost mythic, young local ne'er-do-well who has returned after an extended absence. Then, when school starts, Thomas finds 25-year-old Alice Lowe teaching his "History of Technology" class. Thomas and Alice begin flirting and eventually fall in love. When Shiloh's shack is destroyed, he ends up moving in with Alice. Shortly thereafter, urged on by Shiloh, the three decide to leave Paducah and strike out on their own.

Their first stop is New York City, where Shiloh insists on meeting up with a friend both Thomas and Alice find ominous. They then head north, ending up in Vermont. After considering joining a local quasi-religious commune, they end up squatting in a remote abandoned farmhouse. The bulk of the novel explores their lives from and after this point. It shows Tussing at his best and his worst.

Tussing excels in creating these characters. He also makes it easy to see and understand things through Thomas' eyes. Whether it is simply Tussing's style or a device conveying the narrator's youth, Tussing builds this tale with precise and generally uncluttered declarative sentences. Here is how he describes the feeling of cabin fever as the three begin to get on each other's nerves around Christmas:That empty brightness outside couldn't reach us. We lived in a vacuum. Heat and sound didn't communicate the way they used to. We were left with degrees of friction. We rattled off one another like billiard balls. We rang like crystal. Nothing could change until those frozen rivulets on the windowpanes ran as meltwater.Such straightforward descriptions and the conversational dialogue of the trio paint the possibilities and frustrations, the highs and lows, and the joys and dangers they encounter. They explore not only their relationships with each other but themselves. Slowly, an undercurrent of discontent and foreboding grows and we learn of parts of Shiloh's past that continue to haunt and affect him and, ultimately, all of them.

At times, though, it seems Tussing loses direction. You wonder how the trio manages to eke out an existence as long as they do, particularly given the few monetary resources they start with and only a couple minor very short-term jobs. A few characters come and go, seemingly serving as little more than vehicles by which to make or raise a particular point or issue. Thomas tells the story from a much later point in his life yet there is little to help us connect Vermont with later events mentioned in passing. Similarly, each chapter begins with two men who investigate alleged miracles for the Catholic Church. It is only near the end that we learn the connection between those vignettes and Thomas' story. Although intriguing on their own, their connection with the main story is tenuous enough that the concept comes off as an afterthought.

That does not mean the flaws overwhelm the enjoyment of the book. While they do keep The Best People in the World from being a superb first effort, it is well-written and engaging. It also leaves little doubt that Tussing is an author to watch.

They may not be the best people in the world, but the central characters in this book are short on material resources, disaffected, and looking for a way to escape present circumstances. It's somewhat improbable that the town misfit and drifter, a newly arrived school teacher, and a directionless high school student would connect and abruptly decide to leave Paducah, Ky. for a journey of vague purpose and destination. Shiloh, Alice, and Thomas end up in rural Vermont, in the early 1970s, squatting in a vacant farmhouse.

The book is devoted to the ventures and difficulties of this threesome trying to establish some personal rapport all the while eking out a minimalist existence with virtually no means to do so. Shiloh, a self-labeled anarchist given to pithy, not totally fathomable, statements, sees it as his mission to protect Thomas and Alice, who maintain a troubled intimacy.

The author is obviously placing this group as part of the alternative community movement of that era with generally the same prospects: poor. They are unable to make much headway personally or as a group, despite flashes of resourcefulness.

For some, this book will prove to be inconclusive and evasive; the murky pasts of Shiloh and Alice seem to be factors only vaguely explained. Others may derive satisfaction from the open-ended adventure despite the deprivations and difficulties. It is not clear that the author really knew where he was going to take this unlikely trio. The reader is left to fill in many of the blanks.

First novels can be a tough road for writers even as talented as Justin Tussing. I have to admit, I read the review in the NY Times Book Review a few weeks back, and I became intrigued with some of the issues in the book: early 1970's, the idea of three people going off an adventure, the contrast between that era and the one we now live in. There are lots of avenues to pursue. Some of the moments in the writing are worthy of literature, and then other times you scratch your head and wonder what the hype (of this book) is about. Bottom line: I think you have to read it at the right time with just the right mood. That makes it a quirky book, I supppose, and hence the three stars.

Having read the excerpt in the New Yorker magazine, I was eager to read the book, expecting an adventure novel; a contemporary story set in a tumultuous time. What I got was something much more. A deeply affective story about love, faith and wonder constantly threatened by reality. The author draws you in with his descriptions of place and time, skillfully weaving converging stories that initially seem disconnected. Once the reader surrenders to the fantastic storytelling, he is taken on a ride which can only end in the way it does. In other words, the author refuses to give in to cliche just to tie it all up. In the end you are wanting more, but can only say "Wow!"

The Best People in the World is a quirky, idiosyncratic coming-of-age story, an offbeat road tale packed with eccentric, and loveably kooky characters, left-of-centre misfits intent to exist on the edges of society. Narrated in the first person by the adventurous 17-year-old Thomas Mahey, the Best People in the World takes place in the early 1970's, and offers an earthy, down-to-earth slice of Americana, where families are made almost instantaneously and where beauty is found in author Justin Tussing's honest, sweeping portrayal of the picaresque Vermont landscape.

Living in a Paducah, Kentucky, Thomas is much loved by his mother Mary and his stepfather Fran. He's the first to admit that he has a good home, but he's also restless and unmoored. Mary constantly plagues Thomas with her noble intentions, and Fran hounds him with wounded empathy. Impatient, and eager, he strikes up a friendship with Alice, his twenty-five year old high school history teacher and incongruously becomes her lover.

At the same time, he befriends Shiloh Tanager, a misfit and vagrant, who coincidently rents a room in Alice's apartment. Hiding a shady and mysterious past, Shiloh is a self-confessed anarchist who spends most of his time waxing lyrical about the tortured state of the world and imparting psuedo-meaningful statements to Thomas and Alice such as "I'm here to rebuild my heart."

The three eventually runaway in Alice's beat-up old Plymouth, first stopping in New York where they meet Parker, a shady drug manufacturer who tells them to head north and check out a group of people living in Vermont, considered by him to be the salt of the earth. Lead by the tyrannical and dictatorial Gregor, the group is a self-governing, self-reliant and self-centered commune of hippyish Biblical fundamentalists. They take a liking to Alice, because she's an educator and also to Shiloh, because he can make and fix almost anything.

Deciding this commune is not really their thing, the trio ends up squatting in a deserted farmhouse in Vermont. Much of the second half of the book involves their efforts to survive on limited finances, enduring the petty power plays and squabbles that inevitably take place between them. Things go well for a while, but as the bleak Vermont winter descends on them, tempers fray, and the tight-knit bonds that have formed between them begin to fracture.

Tussing's characters are all stuck in the wilderness, searching for answers and fellowship, their flesh spread thinly over a framework of desire, buying their future at bargain prices. Thomas sees himself both as a runaway and a dropout; the difference being that running away requires decisive action, while dropping out doesn't require anything at all. There's no doubt that Thomas loves Alice, but he often sees them as irreconcilable wills, "I was destruction and she was preservation."

Whilst Alice and Thomas are sidetracked by passion, failing to take care of business, the daily running of the household, Shiloh wants to be coy, clever and controlling. He likes to think what he knows is best for people, thinking of himself as a person of vision, with either the intelligence or the charisma to make people see only what he wants them to see.

Tussing is saying a lot about the way we perceive things and the way they really are, and he imbeds his tale with countless religious and spiritual allusions, which add to the overall lyricism and charm of the story. But the end result is that the characters' endless search for life's meaning and lucidity makes the novel a bit of struggle to finish. Thomas, Alice and Shiloh's world is far from glamorous, and along the way they make some poor choices - Shiloh in particular - is constantly haunted by weight of his past, which burdens his efforts to accomplish something in the present.

With all their flaws, Tussing has created extremely compelling and sympathetic characters and he manages to bring the world of seventies counter-culture to life. It's just a pity that the wayward plot mechanics don't really live up to the vision he obviously intended for his lovable trio of oddball misfits. Mike Leonard March 06.

I had the pleasure of going to college with Justin Tussing. In the years to follow we would trade off letters, all of which I have kept, because of the quality and uniqueness of the prose. I was not surprised when I heard his latest novel had been published, and I was certainly not surprised when I read it that I enjoyed it thoroughly. I would have to say that a book is a sum of its parts, and for me, taken in that light, this book is a resounding success.

I enjoyed so many of the passages as distinct individual pieces that my overall sensation at the end of each period of reading was one of true enjoyment. I think any work of fiction will impact those who live within the concepts and ideas explored in it differently than those that live outside of them. As a comparison, I would use "Lost in Translation." For those who have experienced travel in the contexts similar to the characters in that film, it was powerful and very moving. For those who had not, it was often boring, flat, and in a word, bad. For me it was a very special film, both visually and artistically, as well as emotionally. "The Best People in the World" has had the same impact. I think it is very well written, but then I expected nothing less.

I think this is a great read, with moments of great truth and brilliance in addition to humanity. Well done.

It's the autumn of 1973. Thomas Mahey, 17 years old and facing a bleak future career-wise, falls in love with his 25-year-old History of Technology teacher, Alice Lowe, around the same time he finally meets a town legend: Shiloh Tanager, an eccentric who lives in a hobbled-together shack in the woods and far on the outskirts of society.

Miss Lowe --- or Alice, as Thomas soon learns to call her --- doesn't maintain boundaries between herself and her student. Soon he is at her house, kissing her. The night Alice confides that she's afraid her brutal ex-husband will come for her, she and Thomas go to bed. Simultaneously, an accident triggers the town's flood warning alarm.

Thomas won't tell his parents where he was when the town evacuated to higher ground, resulting in a family rift. Nervous about her ex-husband, Alice acquires a surprising roommate --- Shiloh Tanager. Thomas's parents invite Shiloh over for dinner. In an almost magical way he enchants them, although he's filthy, arrives via the backdoor, and eats enormous amounts of food. He actually performs magic tricks after dinner. And then, as Thomas says, "For his next trick, he made me disappear."

Thomas, Alice and Shiloh leave town. They head for Vermont but stop first in New York City to meet Shiloh's friend, Parker, who knows people living in Vermont in an abandoned amusement park based on The Sound of Music. When the trio reach the commune and meet Gregor, the leader, they decide to travel on. Eventually they find an abandoned house, which they claim as their own. This newly formed family of three buys gardening supplies and scavenges furniture from the dump. However, they forget to buy food and gorge on candy.

A slight crack in their unity appears when Shiloh insists they visit what Thomas refers to as "The Sound of Music Commune." Shiloh is enthusiastic while Thomas and Alice are not. The latter two prevail; they remain in their newly claimed home rather than join the commune. More pressure is put on them though when they attend a commune party; most of the women are hugely pregnant and Thomas is uneasy --- even more so when Gregor asks them to move in, and to pay to join.

Tensions mount when Shiloh's friend Parker arrives. He and Shiloh speak cryptically of "our old friend" and move something mysterious into the house in the dark of the night. Shiloh and Parker spend a puzzling amount of time working on the house, laying attic insulation and reinforcing a column in the basement.

Arguments over chores escalate. Their money dwindles, and an unexpected disaster causes Thomas and Alice to wonder if they truly know their roommate at all.

An intriguing mystery threads through this compelling story, written in an original voice. A subplot involving miracles, a young man's passion, and the search for the meaning of "home" all add up to a read that's difficult to put down. THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD is a memorable debut novel that will have readers eagerly anticipating Justin Tussing's next book.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

This novel haunted me. At work, while driving and in other moments in which I was not physically reading the book, I found myself ruminating on the lives of Thomas, Alice and Shiloh and their struggles in the Vermont countryside. THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD is at once a love story, a coming of age story and a tragedy, yet it is told with such persuasive grace and beauty that it simply feels natural. Outwardly, it is the story of Thomas Mahey, a 17-year old high school student who, despite being somewhat shy and introverted, is wise and perceptive beyond his years. Thomas falls in love with his History of Technology teacher, Alice Lowe, a beautiful but damaged woman who has come to town to escape a devastating marriage. Each person independently forges a friendship with the mysterious and multi-talented Shiloh Tanager, the town outcast and anarchist with a fascination for electricity and a sorrowful secret. After an "accidental" flood in their home town of Peducah, Kentucky, the three take off in a car with no particular destination in mind except to escape. Alice and Shiloh are specifically running from their pasts, but Thomas' flight is more fragile and nebulous. He loves his family and yet feels estranged from them and the world to which they belong to.

So the trio heads for New York and eventually wind-up in a rural Vermont where they become squatters in a fantastical, crumbling old farmhouse. Their stay at the farmhouse begins with a sweet, idyllic summer but is soon lost to the trials of winter's cold, hunger and emptiness. Life is not easy in the countryside and only Shiloh is truly prepared for such hardships. But Shiloh is also busy protecting a tragic secret which involves hidden activities in the basement, explosions and defending their home from his former friend, Parker. The relationship between Alice and Shiloh begins to deteriorate leaving Thomas stranded in the middle ground between love and friendship, loyalty and practicality. There is a small cast of other characters including a doomed child, an obtuse, yet friendly townie and an entire commune filled with religious hippies, but story never veers far from its heart: the intense relationship between three lost souls.

Interspersed within the story of these three flawed, but wonderful people is the seemingly unrelated story of two men in search of miracles. The stories may seem ill-connected at first, but be patient; the connection is well worth the wait. Even the surprise elements of almost supernatural power feel very natural in this book. Tussing's writing veers from luminously beautiful to gut-wrenchingly honest, but it never looses its ability to haunt and engage. Nostalgic, poignant and subtly compelling, THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD really is a moving debut for novelist Justin Tussing.