Customer Reviews

The Legend of Quito Road

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Legend of Quito Road is a multi-generational tale rooted in 1930's Shelby County, Tennessee. Legacies from the slave and antebellum eras reveal familial relationships that cross racial lines and produce enough secrets to fill Victoria' s closet.

The legend refers to a runaway slave who took money from his owners. The slave felt he was entitled to the money for his services as a distiller and from the owners selling his family. He eludes his captures by hiding during the day and only emerges at night earning the title of the "Ghost of Quito Road." Ironically, the legend is seemingly reborn via Gillam Hale, a renowned bootlegger whose skill at the still makes him a legend in his own time. Born free to parents who were free, he is kidnapped and forced to "cook" on command for his owners while they enjoy all the profits from his labor. He becomes embittered; flees, but is recaptured on a fateful, rainy night. Hale narrowly escapes the noose but during the struggle, one of his pursuers is not so lucky and an untimely death occurs.

In an abrupt transition, Hale is pretty much dropped from the story. We then meet Hale's sixty year old sharecropper son (Gill Erby) and teenaged grandson (Son Erby). The book then delves into the complicated racial disparities of the townsfolk and their families. Even with the supplemental family histories (tree diagram) that were provided in the back of the book, it was still very confusing to keep track of the familial relationships. At some point I took additional notes to keep it straight but abandoned the effort and kept reading on faith that it would become clearer as I kept reading.

As mentioned earlier, from this reader's perspective, there seemed to be some guesswork required to fill plot holes. For example, how after killing a white man, Hale surviveS seemingly in the same town to father children and pass his bootlegging skills to his son. Another drawback - the author spent pages on inconsequential passages (how to build a barbecue pit, how to build a still, the mash recipe, etc), but would quickly breeze over key plot components. Another point of concern - there was a LOT going on (jealous spouses, infidelity, bribery, envy, and murder), but when the same "twist" was applied twice, the author lost a point for creativity.

The story's flow was a bit disjointed and there were some choppy starts and stops at the chapter breaks. I did not find the characters endearing, in fact, a few were so one-dimensional and underdeveloped I questioned what purpose or value they added to the story. Nonetheless from a drama-filled perspective, the book itself was interesting enough to keep me reading. I wanted to see where the author was taking me and how the story would end.

I would recommend this book to patient readers who are willing to overlook (or tolerate) the technical glitches and simply enjoy the story.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub

Dwight Fryer's debut novel is a scintillating mixture of love, betrayal, hope and redemption disguised in the incredible human condition of a sleepy little 1930's Tennessee town. Raymond "Son" Erby is his father's shadow, learning at the feet of the wily, enterprising man who's own father left him a legacy that is a blessing and a curse: knowing how to "cook" whiskey.

Gill Erby is determined to teach his son about life and survival as a black man in a time when slavery is barely a generation behind them. Staving off eviction, Gill agrees to distill whiskey for his creditors, never realizing the legacy he's passing on to his son will once again change the flow of history in their lives...

Needing to feed his family and pay off the family farm, Raymond turns to the only lucrative trade he knows--whiskey making. Every batch of his whiskey is made with the determination to carry on his father's dreams ...But, life is often not fair and never what it seems. Raymond's idealism is forever lost when he discovers that every family, even his own, has its secrets...secrets that will haunt them until the day they leave this earth.

Set against the backdrop of segregation, pre-World War II, bootleg whiskey and Jim Crow law, THE LEGEND OF QUITO ROAD reveals the lives of black and white, alike, at a crossroads where their betrayal and shame simmers; and revelation blows the lid off the boiling pot of a dysfunctional American community. THE LEGEND OF QUITO ROAD is one of those rare books that not only has a compelling plot, incredible re-creation of the time period and unforgettable characters, but the author's style--literary fiction with a commercial feel--is truly remarkable and makes for a quick, smooth read. This book is a keeper.

Reviewed by Cxandra
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I enjoyed reading the book! You brought prohibtion times alive for me. Thanks, Dwight Fryer for being a part of our Book Club discussion. What a treat to have you on the phone as we shared our thoughts on your book. I am looking forward to books 2, 3, and 4!!

Dwight Fryer is a great story teller. His well-developed characters and masterful use of the English language made the book an easy and fast read. Can't wait for his next one to come out.

The book was excellent! The characters and the story kept me interested all the way through the book. Can't wait for the next book!!!

Historical fiction is a genre I usually do not read but I could not put this book down. Once I began reading about Son and all who lived in Lucy, I felt like I was there and I could not stop reading. If you are looking for a good book to get lost in, this is it. Trust me, you will enjoy!

I finished this book a few days ago and can't get it out of my mind, but I can't put my finger on why it lingers there. Partly it may be the theme of the book: how talent and sin radiate outward from the sinner to affect loved ones and enemies both, and passes from one generation to the next to outlive the sinner. But mostly the story stays with me, I think, because of the characters. Author Fryer writes characters so real it feels like listening to your grandpa describe your aunts and uncles--he is telling you about people you know, but telling you things you never knew about them. Fryer does this through an Elmore Leonard-like knack for the dialect of the time and region, and also by showing you the hard edge in sympathetic characters and the vulnerable side of the mean. He reminds you that people are not completely good or bad, but only better or worse. Finally, his book leaves a lingering question: what am I passing down to my children?

THE LEGEND OF QUITO ROAD is a noteworthy debut novel. Dwight Fryer combines his gifts as a storyteller, admirable attention to detail (including how to make bootleg whiskey), and unflinching examination of tangled intergenerational and interracial relationships. He skillfully recreates depression era Shelby County, Tennessee.

This thoughtful novel transcends any specific era or location or race to deal with universal issues that can bind together - or tear apart - any family.

I just bought two more copies for friends, and look forward to Fryer's next book.

The Legend of Quito Road is a well written story of five families
whose lives intersect during prohibition. Set north of Memphis, the story appears to be an honest historical account of the times. The author explores the indiviual lives of several of the family members and the impact earlier generations have on their present lives. Fryer's interconnection of characters creates a first novel that opens the door for sequels to further explore indiviuals in earlier generations of the families.

I had a hard time putting this book down and it left me wanting to know more about the characters. There are characters you will love and those you will love to hate. Mr. Fryer is a captivating storyteller and I only hope he has more stories to tell.