Tom Wingo, an unemployed teacher from the South Carolina lowcountry, travels to New York City after his twin sister, Savannah, attempts suicide. To assist her psychiatrist, Susan Lowenstein, Tom recounts the violent and eccentric history of the Wingo family. He describes a childhood shaped by the beautiful marshes of Colleton County, a domineering and abusive father, and a status-seeking mother. The narrative reconstructs a specific, suppressed collective trauma from their youth that fractured the siblings' adult lives and dictated Savannah’s dissociation from reality.
Readers of multi-generational family sagas find in this book a study of how regional identity and domestic secrets dictate adult behavior. It appeals to those interested in the intersections of clinical psychology and personal history. The reader walks away with a detailed portrait of the South Carolina coast and an understanding of how verbalizing past trauma can function as a mechanism for individual recovery and the navigation of complicated family loyalties.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1986
- Language
- EN
