Customer Reviews

West of Rehoboth: A Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is an early 1960s summer and precocious
twelve-year-old Edward Massey is in west Rehoboth, a
genteel beach resort town in Delaware. Each summer he
and his family come here to stay with his Aunt Edna
and escape the volatile streets of Philadelphia. An
avid Agatha Christie reader intrigued with the mystery

of his gruff and haggard Uncle Rufus C. Brown - who
oddly lives in a frail shack behind his Aunt Edna's
house - Edward is determined to discover Rufus's past,

find out what everyone seems to either disregard or
fear in him. What he unleashes in the process is the
broken identity of a man who has always had hard luck
on his heels. With a set of truths as naked as we each

are when we enter the world, Alexs D. Pate renders a
stunning chronology of misery's evolution into a man.
Pate shrewdly plunges us so deep into despair that
we know it by its other name: Rufus. A colorful haunt!

...

Hats off to Alexs Pate for this great "coming of age" novel about Edward Massey, 12-year-old aspiring detective and an unusual summers in West Rehoboth, a beach in Delaware.

Every summer Edward's father take him, his mom and his younger sister to West Rehoboth to get away from the ongoing madness in their inner city surrounding. This particular summer Edward decides to put on his best detective hat and find out more about the strange man he know knows as Uncle Rufus.

One of the things that drew me into this book is that Edward reminds me of my younger days when I was always trying to figure out the what, where, how and why of everything. Edwards wants to know what his Uncle Rufus did that has him banned from his Aunt Edna's house. He wants to know where he disappears to without a trace. He wants to know how does he suddenly reappear and no one says anything and he wants to know why everyone says Uncle Rufus is crazy and why everyone tells him to stay away from him.

As Edward goes on to find the answers to this questions he also learns a couple of lessons about life and reality. Sorry, you'll have to read the book yourself and go along the journey with Edward to find out what the answers are :-D.

I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons...I found the book to be captivating at times but I'll be honest it starts a little slow. The author developed the main characters so well that sometimes you knew what they were thinking. The book also has some suspenseful moments that will keep you turning the pages.

I recommend this book if you want to experience writing on a different level. I will surely be picking up more books by this wonderful author.

Alex Pate is back and once again gracing us with his lyrical, eloquent and poignant writing style. West of Rehoboth is set in the `60s and is about one summer in the life of 12 year old Edward Massey. Every summer the Masseys traveled to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to escape the heat, gangs and mean streets of Philly. Edward's parents believe that Rehoboth with its idyllic beach resorts and slower pace is a safer environment for a young AA male child in the early `60s. But is it really? While Rehoboth Beach definitely seems to move at a snail's pace, its still below the Mason-Dixon line where Blacks are still relegated to subservient roles. The environment is one of a slow furnace that simmers, cooks slowly and is ever ready to explode because of the extremely depressing racial climate. It's home of Aunt Edna a respected business woman and Uncle Rufus who Aunt Edna makes sleep in the shed out back. Young Edward, who's an avid Agatha Christie fan, has decided this is the summer, that he puts his sleuth skills to work, and finds out who is the real Uncle Rufus. In the process, Edward unknowingly will place his own life in danger as he discovers that Rufus is just one of many AA males who've been beaten down by the system and the times...who's encountered a life of violence, hate, frustration and much disappointment. But in spite of it all, Rufus has a story to tell and one that hopefully can teach Edward a few things about life and growing up as an AA male in this land of the free and the brave called America.

West of Rehoboth is a wonderful read with strong character development. Young Edward and elderly Rufus jump off the pages and into your heart as you read this poignant and engaging story. This is a book that's told with emotional honesty and as such sometimes it made it difficult for me to read in one sitting but the suspense kept me quickly turning the pages. I will admit I was a little disappointed in the ending because I was expecting something different, and as such the ending would make me rate the book a 4.5 but because I thoroughly enjoyed other aspects of the book I rounded up to a 5.0. There are some books that touch you in such a way that its hard to describe with words; West of Rehoboth is one such book for me. This is a book that got under my skin and became a part of my spirit. Maybe its because I could relate to the time-frame and mindset of the early 60s since I was also coming of age then.

Pate is an author with immense skills and talents and I look forward to reading future releases by him. For those who've never checked out Pate before also read his other books to include Finding Makeba(which I've read and highly recommend) and Losing Absalom and the Multicultiboho SideShow(two books that I plan to read soon).

APOOO Bookclub

West of Rehoboth by Alexs D. Pate details the curiosity of a young
boy who wants to know why his uncle is an outcast within the family.

Edward Massey is a twelve-year-old boy who does not fit the typical
description of a young boy during the 60's. He enjoys reading
more then playing baseball with his friends. In fact, his favorite
books center on the fictional detective Hercule Poirot and the
mysteries of Agatha Christie.

Every summer Edward and his family travel to Rehoboth

Beach in Delaware. Edward's father drives them to Rehoboth and drops
Edward, his sister, and mother off at his Aunt Edna's house,
which serves as a restaurant, dance hall, and a place where people
come and rent rooms. Aunt Edna is famous in the area for her Bar-B-Q
ribs. Edward's mother works every summer as a waitress to help with
the family finances. The other reason for coming to Rehoboth Beach
was for him and his sister to get away from Philadelphia for the
summer to avoid the temptations of the streets.

The trips are annual, but his curiosity of his Uncle Rufus, which
everyone in the family avoids talking about,increases. This summer,
Edward was determined to find out everything he could about
his Uncle Rufus and why his uncle wasn't allowed in Aunt Edna's house.
He also wanted to know where Uncle Rufus always disappeared to during
the course of the summer, and then would suddenly reappear. When the
family members gather at Aunt Edna's house, he could hear
whispers about his uncle being crazy and when they saw him they would
suddenly stop talking. Edward was going to solve the mystery behind
his Uncle Rufus, even though he had been warned every summer to stay
away from his uncle.

Uncle Rufus is a complicated man, he has several issues from the
past that have caused him to retreat to another "dimension"
to relive his past mistakes and his love for one woman, Aunt Edna.
Rufus' story is amazing and makes it easy to understand why he is the
way he is. He is soon taken with Edward's curiosity of him. When they
both are in a truck accident, and while waiting for help, Rufus sees
Edward is hurt and in pain. In order to keep Edward conscious with
him, Rufus brings Edward to his "inner dimension" so Edward could
finally understand what turn of events made Rufus the way he is which
would answer all of Edward's questions.

The descriptions of the past and the 1962 era were wonderfully
detailed by the author as it reflects the "Jim Crow" era and what
black folks had to endure during that time especially in and around
West of Rehoboth.

I enjoyed the book, but was a little disappointed in the ending.
Although the closure was good, I was wondering if Rufus would ever
come to terms with reality. Perhaps, there is a sequel in the winds.
Overall, it was a wonderful book to read.

Reviewed by Kalaani

It is an old-fashioned story-telling novel that is such a pleasure to read. Entertaining and enlightening. If you have visited Rehoboth Beach, Delaware you will recognize places and people in a way you have not given much thought to. It captures a time and town that have changed only superficially, for better or worse

The question Pates asks is a worthwhile one - how can the drunks on the street feel no shame?
It wasn't worth the effort to read this book to get his partial answer.
This book needed a more heavy-handed editor than it had.

I couldn't wait to read Alexs' West of Rehoboth, since I am a native of Rehoboth, a mystery lover and know many of his family members. During the era he writes about, everyone in this small African American community knew everyone!I could not put the book down! I especially wanted to think about who each character was based on (did I know them?)and of course who "dun it".

Only having read Amistad, I didn't know what style to expect from the author in this novel. It was very simplistic and easy to read. I have read it at least three times and have given about six copies as gifts.

The author depicts a Rehoboth that was all he stated and more. He weaves from imaginary to reality. I strongly recommend this novel as a mystery favorite and especially for Rehoboth readers.

Author Alexs Pate deftly depicts a post-Jim Crow '60s society where Whites and Blacks are still segregated beyond reason and the deck is stacked in the white man's favor. Pate also weaves an atmospheric tapestry so wonderful that the reader senses vividly the surroundings and lives of his characters.

12-year-old African-American Edward Massey makes his usual summer pilgrimage to West Rehoboth, Delaware. There, through the eyes of drifter Rufus C. Brown, he runs head-on into life as a mature black man in segregated America. It is Rufus' story that this novel tells.

Rufus is a likeable enough character, as are most of the characters in this book. But Rufus does not suffer well the struggles of being a black male in America. Though Rufus grows up in the 1920s and meets Edward in the '60s, many of his trials are the same many Black Americans face yet today in the 2000s : absent parents ; too much spare time ; poor job oppurtunity ; and dishonest employers and coworkers. Rufus blames his problems on the White man but creates worse problems for himself by seeking solace in alcohol.

The balance to Rufus is Edward's successful, independent Aunt Edna. Edna achieves financial success by manipulating the white man's rules and doing the best she can. She parlays this into the successful restaurant/dance club where Edward stays.

Pate's other characters represent the range of ways the African-American diaspora dealt with inferior treatment at the hands of White America.

This book is hard to categorize. Pate is a writer of magnificent talent. His depictions of characters are honest, their faults at times glaring. Unfortunately, excellent characters and magnificent writing alone cannot make this a masterpiece. A poor, hurried ending hurt a plot already hampered by the introduction of an element of extra-sensory/mystical perception that does not belong here. Those two shortcomings bring this novel back to earth.

This is the first book I've read by Alexs Pate and I'm impressed with his writing style. West of Rehoboth starts out slow, but the time is spent introducing the reader to the 12-year old sleuth, Edward.

Edward is an atypical pre-teen from Philadelphia that spends his summers in the small "tourist-like" town Rehoboth - his hobby is reading mystery novels. The setting in during the 60's when racial tensions are high.

To hone his "detective skills" and overcome a loss from his previous Rehoboth visit, Edward is initially enthralled with the reason his weird and secluded Uncle Rufus kills his friend Mr Peabody.

The Mr Peabody killing serves as a surface level mystery for the reader while Uncle Rufus' mysterious relationship with the town of Rehoboth probes deeper into the human psyche way of dealing with anger, true love, deception, and so much more.

Pate, successfully combines reality with the supernatural to take the reader on a page-turning journey through West of Rehoboth. The book contains little violence and sex, but a very good mystery.

This is the first book I've read by Alexs Pate and I'm impressed with his writing style. West of Rehoboth starts out slow, but the time is spent introducing the reader to the 12-year old sleuth, Edward.

Edward is an atypical pre-teen from Philadelphia that spends his summers in the small "tourist-like" town Rehoboth - his hobby is reading mystery novels. The setting in during the 60's when racial tensions are high.

To hone his "detective skills" and overcome a loss from his previous Rehoboth visit, Edward is initially enthralled with the reason his weird and secluded Uncle Rufus kills his friend Mr Peabody.

The Mr Peabody killing serves as a surface level mystery for the reader while Uncle Rufus' mysterious relationship with the town of Rehoboth probes deeper into the human psyche way of dealing with anger, true love, deception, and so much more.

Pate, successfully combines reality with the supernatural to take the reader on a page-turning journey through West of Rehoboth. The book contains little violence and sex, but a very good mystery.