Tideland by Mitch Cullin Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Tideland
Book Review: Barely an Okay
Summary: 2 Stars
At first I was blown away by Tideland and the protagonist Jeliza-Rose, with no one for company but various pieces of Barbie dolls picked up in a 5/$1 bin at the thrift store, running wild in the wilds of rural Texas. I was enchanted by the Southern Gothic flavor, by Jeliza-Rose's voice--at once childish and yet overly mature for her age--and by Cullins' descriptions that had me right there, running beside Jeliza-Rose watching the lightening bugs and worrying about bog men.
But then he lost me.
He took the grotesque element of Southern Gothic to the maximum; it was as if he set out to add anything that might possibly be appalling or unappealing or just plain, well, grotesque without making it really fit the plot, throwing it in willy-nilly just for the shock factor.
Now, I'm sure that's not the case, but unlike other Southern Gothic authors (Flannery O'Conner springs to mind) who are making a point with their grotesque and unappealing characters and situations, in Tideland, they were just there. It went from a book that, in the first couple of chapters, I was certain would be a 5 star favorite, to being a barely acceptable "okay" by the time I finished slogging through it.
Book Review: Ok story, but the writing style didn't engage me
Summary: 3 Stars
I tracked down the book after veiwing the movie adaptation first. I felt like the book was a little too vague for me to really enjoy. I never really connected with any of the characters or cared what happened to anybody. I was disappointed because the plot elements and character sketches were so promising, but the storytelling just fell flat.
I think that it's worth a read, but I wouldn't recommend buying a copy to do it. I'd actually suggest watching the movie because it's very well done and makes the story as compelling as it has the potential to be.
Book Review: Texas Gothic
Summary: 5 Stars
Alas, it seems that Terry Gilliam's film adaptation, beset with problems, will not serve well this fine, imaginative novel. That is a shame, because I am convinced that one day this book will be a classic, with a place of its own next to Flannery O'Connor's "Wise Blood", and the works of William Faulkner.
I entreat those of you who like beautiful, evocative writing combined with indelibly grotesque characters to give this book a try.
***SPOILER ALERT!!*** IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE READING A PLOT SUMMARY, STOP RIGHT HERE.
To read this book is to inhabit the mind of Jeliza-Rose, the narrator. Jeliza-Rose is an unfortunate young girl, a haunting victim in the mold of Edward Gorey's "Hapless Child". Both of her parents are junkies, and by the time she is nine, Jeliza-Rose has learned to prepare their fixes for them. When the mother overdoses and dies, Jeliza-Rose's father (a has-been Rock 'n Roller) travels to Texas with her by Greyhound bus to find sanctuary in his family's remote and deserted homestead. Not long after moving into the house, the father also dies of an apparent overdose. As her father reposes untouched in his chair, the utterly alone jeliza- Rose retreats into the shadowy world of her imagination. She occupies herself by battling the natural intrusions of the outside world--red ants and a noisome squirrel that invade the house. There is a beautiful, dreamy suspension about these interludes. Jeliza-Rose further protects herself by engaging in imaginary telepathic conversations with her collection of Barbie-doll heads, particularly one that she calls "Classique". The dolls are enlisted as her allies. For parts of the book, the doll heads seem to function like a Greek chorus, bouncing comments both satirical and poignant back to Jeliza-Rose as she play-acts through her traumas.
As Jeliza-Rose begins tentatively exploring the area around the house, she encounters a mysterious, shrouded woman at work gardening. After observing the woman from a distance, Jeliza-Rose's curiosity moves her toward making contact. The woman at first seems only aloof and severe--but instead of hope for Jeliza-Rose's plight, the woman ("Dell") offers only a more deeply disturbed pathology. Jeliza-Rose is drawn into her web, where also resides "Dickens", Dell's freakish, child-like brother. Jeliza-Rose forms a queasy bond with Dickens, as his "playmate."
At the conclusion of the book, Dickens in effect blasts a hole into the real world by dynamiting a passenger train which runs by the property. Whether Jeliza-Rose will choose to be rescued remains unclear, but Mitch Cullin seems to imply that only another catastrophe can free the girl from her doomed existence.
Mitch Cullin has created a character, in Jeliza-Rose, that will haunt your mind long after you have finished this book. She is the wispish, precociously imaginative Alice-in-Wonderland for our dark, drug-addled times.