Bastard Out of Carolina: A Novel

Dorothy Allison

Sep 2005 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

A profound portrait of family dynamics in the rural South and “an essential novel” (The New Yorker)

“As close to flawless as any reader could ask for . . . The living language [Allison] has created is as exact and innovative as the language of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye.” —The New York Times Book Review

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years

The publication of Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina was a landmark event that won the author a National Book Award nomination and launched her into the literary spotlight. Critics have likened Allison to Harper Lee, naming her the first writer of her generation to dramatize the lives and language of poor whites in the South. Since its appearance, the novel has inspired an award-winning film and has been banned from libraries and classrooms, championed by fans, and defended by critics.
 
Greenville County, South Carolina, is a wild, lush place that is home to the Boatwright family—a tight-knit clan of rough-hewn, hard-drinking men who shoot up each other’s trucks, and indomitable women who get married young and age too quickly. At the heart of this story is Ruth Anne Boatwright, known simply as Bone, a bastard child who observes the world around her with a mercilessly keen perspective. When her stepfather Daddy Glen, “cold as death, mean as a snake,” becomes increasingly more vicious toward her, Bone finds herself caught in a family triangle that tests the loyalty of her mother, Anney—and leads to a final, harrowing encounter from which there can be no turning back.

Ratings and reviews

The storytelling and raw emotion of the main character is astonishing. This novel really gets you involved in the life of the main girl. Causes you to question many things about the human psyche and why we do the things we do. Not a happy tale but a true tale.

What happened to her little sister? Good book. Touched home with me because i live in Greenville SC and i work at Greenville Rape Crisis and Child Abuse Center (which is located on White Horse Road). I have no idea why I picked this to read when I work in the CAC field. Thought the character development went a little overboard. The book is a good read though, but not an easy one.

Truly one of the best books I've ever read. I'm a big fan of most, if not all of her work

About the author

Dorothy Allison is the acclaimed author of the nationally bestselling novel Bastard Out of Carolina, which was a finalist for the 1992 National Book Award. She is also the author of the short story collection Trash and the bestselling novel Cavedweller, which was named a New York Times Notable Book. The recipient of numerous awards, she lives in Northern California.