V is for Vernon, Olympia

I have actually been putting off this review for nearly a week because I just don't know what to say about this book. As I've approached the end of this journey, I've had fewer choices in some letters. Of course there aren't many authors whose last name starts with a V. I liked what I read on the back of this novel, but, for me at least, it didn't really translate to an enjoyable read. Still, I bring Eden by Olympia Vernon.

Eden is the story of 14-year-old Maddy, an African-American girl growing up in rural Mississippi. As punishment for drawing a picture of a naked woman inside the Bible during Sunday school, Maddy's mother sends her to care for her dying aunt Pip. Much of the story revolves around the time Maddy spends with Pip, who is dying of breast cancer. Pip and Maddy's mother are estranged because Pip slept with Maddy's father. Maddy's father, Chevrolet, is an unlikable character who walks naked through the house and sleeps with whomever he can. There really aren't that many likable characters in Eden. You want to cheer for Maddy, but her obsession with all things sexual makes her a bit too much for a 14-year-old. You want to like Maddy's mother, Faye, but her failure to forgive her sister and be there to help her die makes her less likable. You want to like Pip and perhaps I came closest to liking Pip. She knows who she is and doesn't try to be anyone else. If there are truly an likable characters in Eden, I would say they are Pip and her best friend Fat.

I enjoyed Vernon's writing style. She is a lyrical writer for sure. I just didn't enjoy the content. I felt the novel had to reach quite a bit to say what Vernon was trying to say. I felt that much of the vulgarity was added more for shock value than because it made the book work. I am not saying that a book about a 14-year-old has to be written in language appropriate for a young teen, but it's unsettling to read some of what Vernon wrote as coming from a teen girl.