There's a certain genre of novel set in the American deep south in which the characters are named things like Willadee, Bootsie and Nicey, they eat biscuits and gravy, and call their fathers Daddy. The writing can range from poignant to too-saccharine-for-words, but some of the best examples are byauthors such as Fannie Flagg and Rebecca Wells. Now there's a new name to look out for. Texan Jenny Wingfield's début novel, The Homecoming of Samuel Lake (Harper, $29.99), is set in 1950s rural Arkansas and is a gritty tale with the inevitable dollop of Southern whimsy.
I'd hesitate to compare any novel with Harper Lee's cherished classic To Kill A Mocking Bird but - aside from the whimsy - Wingfield's book has a very similar feel and values. It's about loyalty and faith, the battle of good against evil, the power of family and love, hope and redemption.
Samuel Lake is a preacher; handsome and devout but far too independent-minded for the liking of most congregations. Every year his wife, Willadee Moses, heads home with their kids for a big reunion while she waits to hear where the church will move her family to next. This summer is set to be an eventful one. First, the Moses family reunion ends in tragedy when her father, John, gets drunk and shoots himself dead. Shortly afterwards, Samuel loses his job and he and Willadee have no choice but to stay in their hometown. For their daughter, Swan, this isn't entirely bad news. It means she gets to run wild, play by the creek and get in tight with her fascinating Uncle Toy, who rumour has it once killed a man with his bare hands.
Swan is the Scout Finch of Wingfield's book, a spirited little girl with a well-developed sense of right and wrong. She befriends a local boy whose father beats his wife, kids and animals. Swan's protective instincts kick in and soon the Moses family is helping the vulnerable child, bringing a whole heap of trouble down on their heads in the process. Meanwhile, Willadee's strumpet sister-in-law is after Samuel, even feigning piety in a bid to attract him. And Samuel himself is going through a personal crisis as he struggles to find a direction for his life.
The characters are very definitely good or bad here and the two villains of the piece, without a single redeeming feature between them, seem overdone. Still, I was charmed by the Moses family and never anything but engrossed by the drama of their lives.
Wingfield honed her writing skills on screenplays for movies like The Outsider and she tells a damn good story. Warm and funny in parts, heartbreaking in some places, miraculous in others, this doesn't feel like just another cookie-cutter Southern Gothic novel. I'm not sure about the title, though - as this is Swan's story far more than Samuel's - and the jacket design does not do the book many favours. But, if you're looking for a novel with old-fashioned values and lots of heart, a page-turner to be devoured in big gulps with an ensemble of memorable characters, then The Homecoming Of Samuel Lake is going to work its Southern charm on you.
