Because Ideas Matter...
The faculty and staff of Butler University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences presents
Recommended Readings
South of Broad
by Pat Conroy, Knopf Doubleday Publishing 2009
Reviewed by Judi Morrel
Pat Conroy's first novel in 14 years is, as
is all of his writing, beautifully written and full of evocative
description of his beloved Charleston, South Carolina. He tells a
good story, too. The novel's narrator Leo King is a Charleston
newspaper columnist who is emotionally damaged, as are many of
Conroy's previous main characters. This story, which moves back and
forth between 1969 and 1989, follows the lives of Leo's family and
tight circle of friends. In 1969, Leo, as a high school student,
gathers a motley group of misfits and outcasts as friends,
including a black football player, a few scions of Charleston
aristocracy, a pair of Appalachian orphans, and a set of stunningly
beautiful twins living in an abusive home. This group reunites in
1989 when Sheba, one of the twins, now a Hollywood star, shows up
in Charleston, claiming to want to see her old friends. In fact,
her brother Trevor, who has integrated himself into the gay
community in San Francisco, hasn't been heard from for some time
and she wants help finding him. Leo's voice describes the lives,
loves and affairs of the group, both during high school and in the
intervening years. Fans of Conroy will relish the lush prose and
the emotionally wrenching stories of damaged psyches and
friendships that endure. Even if you are not a particular fan of
Conroy's, you will enjoy the ride.
- Judi Morrel is interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences at Butler University.