A Review of South of Broad, by Pat Conroy

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


South of Broad is a page turner, even if it is occasionally, as another reviewer said, over the top, and as I would add, a bit overwrought. And sometimes that deus ex machina is a bit busy, especially when it takes the form of Hurricane Hugo. And yes, I get it: racism can be overcome, so can class prejudice, and homophobia, a few other sins, and we can all love one another.



That said, this tale of Leopold Bloom King (yes, he was named after the character)kept me reading and reading--at the dinner table, in the bathroom, up and down the stairs. Leo has grown up in a family as the ugly duckling, in the shadow of Steve, his golden brother, his mother's favorite. The family is broken when Steve takes his own life. Leo recreates family with a group of high school outsiders--even though one is another golden boy of an old Charleston family, as his girl friend. The story becomes about this group--and here is an example of Conroy not trusting his readers to get it--one black, one gay, a movie star to be, two orphans from the Appalachians, Leo, aka Toad, the ugly one, and so one--and how they love each other over the years and bad and good marriages, "unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes, and devastating breakdowns," and secrets kept and exposed. Charleston itself, a city clearly loved by Conroy, is a character in this novel. Language, too, rich, lush, and thick, is a character, or rather a force.



Conroy fans will enjoy this and should read it. I had a good time reading it--flaws and all.



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