Sweet Louisiana… What book sings your praises?

By Kristen on Apr 10, 2008 in 50 States 50 Books

Melanie Jones‘ pick for Louisiana is a book club favorite…!

Photo by hyperblondie 84

Rebecca Well’s Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood follows Vivi, Necie, Teensy, and Caro, who, despite being 60 years old, are still causing trouble in Pecan Grove, Louisiana.

After an interview with Vivi’s daughter Siddalee that portrays Vivi as a “tap dancing child abuser,” her friends persuade the infuriated matriarch to send Siddalee “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” a scrapbook filled with girlhood mementos that chronicle the Ya-Yas as they grow and love. As Siddalee pores over the book and re-lives both Vivi’s teenage years and her own tumultuous childhood, she struggles to accept that love is imperfect and that forgiveness must often override understanding.

Louisiana, the “bayou world of Catholic saints and voodoo queens,” has the unique double heritage of both Cajun and Dixie roots. The lifeblood of these women is that of well-bred “gentility,” and they are sometimes ruled by impulsivity and a fun-loving thirst for life, raising Cain even as they raise children. Amidst gumbo dinners and heavy air-conditioning, night-blooming jasmine and tangled Spanish moss, they dream “soft seersucker dreams, drugged happy with the heat,” while Siddalee sees “the Holy Lady [Mary], with strong muscles and a merciful heart,” cradled in the crescent moon. Strength and tenderness, devotion and tumult—these are at the essence of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and of the heritage its women embody.

Photo by amabile

I really enjoyed this book and agree with her choice as one that represents Southern story-telling well. However, my original pick was The Awakening by Kate Chopin and I think I’ll stick with my pick as a great representation of place. Edna, the narrator, is difficult to like at times, but Chopin captures her desire for a life other than the one ordained by her proscriptive, New Orleans eighteenth century society beautifully. One thing I love about this novel is that the protagonist’s need to break away from her husband and family is not because her spouse is 2-dimensionally evil. He is actually much more likeable than the man for whom she longs, but the heart of the story really transcends mere male-female relationships. I actually liked it enough to create a classic kit for book clubs and recommend it as an interesting discussion-starter.

Photo by jc mcd2003