Billy May Platte is a half Irish, half Cherokee Appalachian woman who learned the hard way that 1940s West Virginia was no place to be different.
As Billy May explains, “We was sheltered in them hills. We didn’t know much of nothin’ about life outside of them mountains. I did not know the word lesbian; to us, gay meant havin’ fun and queer meant somethin’ strange.”
In 1945, when Billy May was … when Billy May was fourteen years old and orphaned, three local boys witnessed an incident in which Billy May’s sexuality was called into question. Determined to teach her a lesson she would never forget, they orchestrated a brutal attack that changed the dynamics of the tiny coal mining village of Cedar Hollow, West Virginia forever.
Global Ebook Gold Medal Winner in 2013, a finalist for the University of North Carolina-Wilmington’s Synergy Program in 2013, and voted Sapphic Readers Book Club Book of the Year in 2011 (under a different imprint), Appalachian Justice is a work of southern fiction that delves into social issues such as poverty, domestic violence, misogyny, and sexual orientation. Ultimately, however, Appalachian Justice delivers a message of hope.
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Beautifully moving and bittersweet, this story spans the life of a female in a poor West Virginia mining town. Imagining the day to day life of a reclusive mountain woman and her remote cabin in the Appalachians as she relived her memories is vividly real and transporting. Adding to the authenticity are her thoughts and words, richly woven in mountain dialect, Much of her story is not pretty, while other facets are tender and touching. The result is a strong, fascinating, believable character. The storytelling was wonderfully engaging.
Sometimes, you read a book that really gives you mixed feelings. For me, this is one of those books.
First of all, I think that the author/publisher should have a prominent statement in the blurb for the book warning people of the content. Anyone who has suffered domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse or rape could have a very hard time with this book. Even though I have not personally had to deal with any of this (Thank God!), I found myself greatly disturbed by some of the content.
At the beginning, I enjoyed learning about Billy May’s life growing up in the mountains of West Virginia in a small mining town. The author definitely painted a picture and I was reminded of one of my favorite books, “To Kill A Mockingbird” with Billy May’s childlike view of the area.
But, as I got further into the book, I found myself having a hard time with the story. The author jumped between three different time periods, which made it hard to follow at times. Also, there were a lot of characters, some with similar names, which added to the confusion. Then, when jumping from time to time, you had young girls that were named, then after they married, of course their names changed. This might not be a bothersome when reading a physical book, but it was confusing in an audiobook. I realize that the author was trying to slowly build up to the climax of the story, but I really don’t like flashbacks in my books or movies.
I won’t go into detail about the story, but I did find it hard to believe that a whole town would be so dimwitted and spineless when it came to the events that were hinted at in the book. “Something” happened to Billy May when she was about 14 years old and she just disappeared. Even though she didn’t have any family, what about all the other kids and their parents? Wasn’t anybody bothered by her disappearance?
Then, we have the local Doctor who overlooks the domestic abuse that his secretary/assistant is obviously suffering. Then, we find out that he is secretly in love with her? Give me a break!
The chapter that focused on Mr. Smith, the owner of the general store, nearly drove me crazy. Each and every time the man talked or was talked about, the author called him, ‘Mr. Smith”. We got it……”Mr. Smith” must have been used at least 100 times in this chapter (if I had a physical book, I would have counted).
When a few people finally take off their blinders to what has been under their noses for 30+ years, I expected a prolonged, detailed ending. However, the author instead rushed this part of the book and I was left wondering why. And, a law enforcement person was mentioned, but nobody ever bothered to involve him in the situation?
There were some poignant, heartfelt moments in the book, which is why I kept listening. But, after the wonderful beginning, I was disappointed in the whole story. The narrator did a great job with the various voices and accents, but some of the male villains were pretty over the top.