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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom." George S. Patton, July 24, 2010
The memories we have of our younger days are prescious and as we go on with our lives those recollections become cherished. This story is told as a man is nearing the end of his life, reminiscing about the most momentous event of his childhood. In East Texas, during the hard days of the depression, twelve-year-old Harry Crews and his nine-year-old sister, Tom, find the body of a black woman, deep in the woods by their farm. Their father, Jacob, is the town constable. He brings the body to the next town because he is afraid that if he goes to the young doctor in his town, that doctor would suffer a loss of patients because he worked on a negro. The woman is identified as Jelda May Sykes, a harlot who did some conjuring. He's not surprised that there hadn't been much publicity due to their color. As he is gathering information, he's informed by Red Woodrow, the constable in that town, to stay out of Red's jurisdiction and that he, Red, would conduct the investigation. Meanwhile, Harry and Tom are convinced that a legendary killer is about, the killer, known as Goat Man, follows them home from deep in the woods. After a period of quiet, another body of a black woman is found. This time the body is in Jacob's jurisdiction so he conducts an official investigation. The story is told in a warm, visual style, as if the reader was sitting in the living room and listening to the events unfold whle having a cool drink with the story teller. Harry and Tom are excellently portrayed and could have been the children of Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird." In fact, Scout Finch and tomboy, Tom Craine could have been twins, they are so much alike. Both stories have negro characters who are wrongly accused and both stories have heroic characters and are masterpieces of literature.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding, December 9, 2000
I've been reading Joe Lansdale for just over ten years now, and I think this is just about the best book he's ever written. I picked up "The Drive In" when I was about sixteen, and I've been hooked by his terrific writing and his great senses of humor and story ever since. If you've never read anything by Joe Lansdale, you're missing out on a truly unique, authentic American writer. It's true you probably need a strong stomach to make it through an average Joe Lansdale novel, but I think it's also true that you need a sharp sense of humor which enjoys being tickled, a sensitive soul and a hightened appreciation for the poetic in everyday life. Joe delivers on all of these fronts. He's like no other author I've read. He's a little bit like Mark Twain, he's a little bit like Stephen King, and something like Harper Lee. But that comparison only works if you put all of those in a blender and hit puree. In "The Bottoms," Lansdale, who is a master of the folkilsy-gruesome character-driven story, charts some new territory. Not geographically--this one takes place, like most of his other tales, and like his real life, in East Texas--but rather stylistically. Ever since reading my first Lasndale book I've been a huge fan. His writing is always exretemely fluid. It just makes you feel like writing must be one of the most natural human activities, like walking or breathing or taking a long drink of water when your throat feels like sandpaper. But in this book, Lansdale seems to have tightened the linguistic screws a few notches. Not only is the writing fluid and fun to read, but it is of a consistently excellent quality. Before "The Bottoms" I probably would have only recommended Joe Lansdale to people who have a taste for the weird. If you've seen "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" more than once for example, I know you'd like Joe Lansdale. He's an excellent writer, but that's the kind of taste you have to have, at least on part of your palate, to appreciate him. The style and characterization in "The Bottoms" just blew me away. There are four excellent books that I was reminded of while reading this: "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee, "The Green Mile," by Stephen King, "Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain and "Montana 1948" by Larry Watson. If you've read and enjoyed any of those books, please do yourself a favor and read Joe Lansdale's "The Bottoms." Even if you haven't read any of those others, read this one (and then go read those also). The only real complaint I had about this book was that the mystery was a little too easy to figure out. That almost didn't matter, though, because I was having such a good time with the writing and the characters. One other thing was that all of the narrator's similies are mouth-wateringly food related. This become a little trying after a while, especially if you haven't eaten for a few hours. I half expected to find out at the end that the young protagonist had grown up to be a chef. I thought that would have been great. An excellent read, though. Well done, Joe! Keep up the good work! If you like the feel and style of this book, I also reccomend the music of guitarist John Hiatt, particularly his latest CD, "Crossing Muddy Waters." I got to know this CD at the same time I was reading this book, and they blended together very nicely in my imagination.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worthy Winner, May 20, 2001
Edgar first prizewinner Lansdale delivers the goods. He is a masterful storyteller nailing time, place, and people with bulls-eye accuracy. The narrative and dialogue flow, and the pace never flags. He captures the child's eye view with all the authority of Stephen King or Harper Lee. Harry is an honorable boy caught in a dark story of racism, death, and folklore. The events gradually close in on him and his family creating an almost unbearable suspense. The characterizations are sharp and multi-layered. I particularly liked the non-message in dealing with racism. Mr. Lansdale is an unblinking recorder; all the indignities and intricacies are out there with no apology; for we are hearing a story as it was, not as we would like it to be. "The Bottoms" transcends the mystery genre. It is a particularly fine coming-of-age story. Yet mystery-thriller fans will not be disappointed. Harry's and sister Tom's search and confrontation of the killer stretch the suspense until you feel as if you are humming like an overtaxed wire. I would rate this book the best I have read this year, and it has a permanent place on my bookshelf. Highly recommended.
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