Place Called Estherville

by Erskine Caldwell

With a true American voice, Caldwell presents a searing view of the tragic struggles of a black brother and sister in their attempt to survive the racism and perverse sexuality of their brutal Southern employers.

Genres: Fiction, Southern Gothic, Southern, Race, Historical Fiction, Classics, Ebooks

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American author. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native South won him critical acclaim, but they also made him controversial among fellow Southerners of the time who felt he was holding the region up to ridicule.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erskine_...

Reviews

[Majenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like A Place Called HELL.....says every other reviewer who has endured this book, I know. But all the letters of "hell" ARE found in Estherville, and wall-to-wall hell is all that is found in Caldwell's 1930s small Southern Estherville by the new light-skinned siblings-of-color in town, Ganus and Kathyanne Bazemore. Their mother has died and they'll be living with and looking after a sick aunt; she can't work so both able-bodied young people will need to find and keep good jobs. They can work and they want to work, but white Estherville brings the hell--hard.

"'What are you scared of?'" the lively young daughter of Ganus' employers asks him when they're alone together in her home. "'Of just exactly what I know deep in my bones I ought to be scared of, that's what,'" he answers. (Location 105)

"For once in his life he felt as utterly worldly and rake-helly as the Baptist minister said all men were." (Kathyanne's effect on her employer at Location 414)

"'There's always somebody who wants something in this world--whether he ought to have it or not--and who'd be unhappy if he couldn't have it. I guess that's human nature at its best.
" (Dr. English to Ganus at Location 1181)

"Why should we come back here again to be insulted? I'd a hell of a lot rather be insulted in Jacksonville or Birmingham. They put nice trimmings on the insults everywhere else." (A white person at Location 1764, whining about NOTHING compared to the Bazemore siblings' obstacle-course existence in Estherville)

"'...it's probably true that colored people don't have much say-so these days. They have to do pretty much what they're told if they want to get along with white people in Estherville. I don't know what anybody can do about it, but it won't be like it is always, though. Things change.'" (The Bazemores' landlord at Location 2417)

Note: Somebody actually asks Ganus about his name but doesn't give him a chance to reply--I would have liked to know!

Thanks for reading!

[Danesda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifico, maravilloso... de la mejor literatura de mi año... sobre racismo pero con un humor sencillo... brillante... no se lo pierdan.

Video reseña en:

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClWJZKavgik/

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparing this to Caldwell's better known works--Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre--is like comparing....well, it's like comparing a good read with a freakin' fantastic read. Where Caldwell's other characters are more caricatures of themselves, these characters are heart-breakingly realistic.

All in all, a very disturbing book that should be much more well-known than it is. Much more!

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the back of the book:

Erskine Caldwell is one of the most widely read authors of the Twentieth Century with eighty million books sold in over forty languages...Literary scholars have placed Erskine Caldwell with Fitzgerald, Wolfe, and Steinbeck, and William Faulkner considered him one of America's greatest novelists.

Having also read God's Little Acre, and Tobacco Road, I can say that Caldwell's often perverted characters and powerful prose are poignant, and at times, painfully so.

Accused of writing soft-porn, which is certainly a relative characterization, Caldwell seems determined to expose the cruel and evil aspects of human nature, focusing on the poor and highly prejudiced South of his time.

Estherville is no exception, as it follows a mulatto brother and sister who are repeatedly victimized, often sexually, in the very "white" town of Estherville.

Again, this notion of man as little more than a self-proclaimed civilized animal (some more civilized than others) whose base drives unchecked not only control him but also ultimately corrupt him is nothing new and repeated throughout this book. And as always, his characters show that our convictions about right/wrong are highly influenced by culture and social norms, and while his books center around the South of the 40's and 50's, the basic ideas are still relevant today. Things like racial inequality, prejudice, subjugation and exploitation, hate crimes, etc.

He doesn't mince words or sugarcoat his message with a make-you-feel-good ending or uplifting plots. Instead, he makes it ugly and sometimes awfully so, although his books do offer a satisfying conclusion even if the redemption is subtle. For the most part, his characters are unsavory, sometimes lacking even one redeeming quality, but ultimately effective at showcasing the injustices of a cruel world. So, yeah, I can understand why some people don't enjoy his work.

But for me, the writing was wonderful, the characters well constructed, if often unlikeable, and his in-your-face style, effective. In some ways, I am reminded of contemporary writers like Junot Diaz, whose work feels just as raw but more autobiographical. There is also a level of absurdity in Caldwell's books that at times seems almost comical, which is odd if you consider the tragic nature of his characters and their story.

I also bought two collections of his short stories and I am even more excited about reading them after completing Estherville.

Bottom line: a notable work that's probably not for everyone, but still worthy of recognition nonetheless. It's like eating spinach instead of ice cream when you were a kid. The spinach might not look appetizing and you might not have learned to appreciate it's bitter taste, but that doesn't change the fact that's it's much better for you than the super-sweet vanilla fudge swirl that you would have probably chosen if given the choice. I personally love spinach, at least now, partly because I know it's good for me.

[Cookie M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thus, the third Caldwell novel I read tackles racism, about as well as any book written in 1949 can. It is full of stereotypes and the expected situations, but Caldwell lays them open. He doesn't shy away from the treatment of Blacks by entitled Whites in a small southern town.

Trigger Warning: The N-word is used frequently. It was commonly used at the time. It is offensive to read it. You should be offended. To censor it out in the 21st Century would insulate you from the horror you need to feel. Leave it in. It is not the only awful racial slur in this book.

[Russell Bittner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m convinced of it: nobody, but nobody writes like Erskine Caldwell!

He’s not just a gifted writer with a silken pen. He’s a player, an actor, a minor god. Unlike God, however, there are no mistakes in his creations—no minor missteps. Every word is the result of a perfect craft. And each word in succession lifts off the page and into a reader’s mind to leave an indelible impression.

Most of Place Called Estherville is dialogue—and contains just a few scenes, a handful of characters. But because Caldwell is so effective with dialogue, it’s as if we were standing right there—feeling the setting, the hearing, the shouting and the cursing, smelling the bodies of the characters right in front of us.

Is Caldwell’s narrative prose poetic? No. But each word of it creates a scene and a mood for his dialogue.

Pick up this book; you won’t regret it. And if you do—like it, that is—add his other works to your library. The ones I know of and have read: God’s Little Acre: Tobacco Road; Gretta; The Collected Short Stories of Erskine Caldwell.

As I said: nobody, but nobody writes like Erkine Caldwell. He’s one of a kind.

RRB
Brooklyn, NY
13 September 2017

[Buccan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buena novela muy al estilo Caldwell: con una escritura sencilla la rotundidad de las emociones contadas en el contexto va cogiendo forma, y poco a poco nos vamos adentrando en ese lugar de la América profunda, de white trash, de transición de una época, de gente anclada en el pasado y otra dejándose llevar por la corriente mientras el tiempo avanza sin prisa pero sin pausa, anunciando un cambio paulatino pero con baches en cada esquina.
Hay muchas novelas que lo cuentan; pero pocas que solo cuentan eso, dándole la importancia que se merece. Me recuerda a una frase de Vázquez Figueroa: ... y es que la historia acostumbra a dedicar mucho espacio a lo que hacen los hombres, y muy poco a lo que sienten.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Place Called Estherville by Erskine Caldwell tells the story of Ganus and Kathyanne Bazemore, a brother and sister with an unknown white father and an African American mother, who must move into town from the country due to the death of their mother and the need to take care of a sick aunt. The story is primarily about Ganus and Kathyanne and their ill luck in adapting to the segregated environment in Estherville. The story takes place in the early 1900's in the deep south and the prejudice is not only extreme but almost terrifying. Not only are Ganus and Kathyanne half white, but they are also very attractive, which doesn't make it easier for them, but horrifyingly the opposite.

I have read books about nightmarish towns such as Cornwall Coomb in Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon or seen motion picture towns such as Hobbs End in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, but, in my opinion, Estherville exceeds them all. I believe it must be because of the reality of the horror as we see people seduce and abuse one another because they consider themselves to be superior and masters. For me, the book is downright disturbing, and I think after reading three Caldwell books this year, I'm going to swear him off for awhile.

As far as the book itself, Erskine Caldwell was a master in getting the reader into the story. His conversation patterns between characters are beyond belief. It is almost like you are there, which in many cases causes a great deal of frustration and feeling of hopelessness, because y0u know there is nothing you can do about what is happening. You are the observer looking into what you anticipate will be a horrible conclusion with dire consequences for the two main characters.

During his career, Caldwell's graphic realism and political statements caused scorn from critics and censors, but he eventually, before passing away in 1987, was considered one of the giants of American literature. I can't disagree. Place Called Estherville grabs the reader and simply won't let go, but that doesn't mean you like what's happening, because you won't. I am sure that is what he intended, because if it weren't for writers with the courage of Caldwell, the world wouldn't change for the better. Thankfully the final moments of the novel give the reader a glimmer of hope, but it still makes one realize there is a long way to go with all the hate, loathing, despair and suffering that we see around us.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LISTED THIS UNDER HISTORICAL NOVEL RATHER THAN FICTION???????? Why? Well it is because so much of it reminded me of what I saw in my own home town in the 1950s. Even more terrible is the fact that it is still true today in many rural and urban settings. Of course today it involves a different group of people, now being the newest immigrants here. The ILLEGALS . a VERY SAD STORY VERY WELL WRITTEN.

[Diane Iliff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible story

Did not like or finish this book. Too prejudice. Would not recommend it to anyone. Not my kind of book at all.

[Eric C Abrahamsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

His vivid descriptions of what it was like to be black in 1930s Georgia made me sweat. Recommend this to everyone.

[Bob Behlen · Rating 3 out of 5]

really good. worth it for sure. it isn't "Tobacco Road," but definitely a good story.

[A R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been on a mission to read as many of Caldwell's works as I could after rediscovering Tobacco Road a while back. I originally read that whilst at university but was not grabbed by it as much as I was by some other Southern authors. However, on a subsequent read I really enjoyed it.

This is a lesser-known work and I think you can see why when you read it. It is a quick and easy read and is relatively compelling. The focus is much more on race than it is in some of his earlier works (Tobacco Road, God's Little Acre...). In those works race is very much on the periphery most of the time. Here, as in Trouble in July (another of his works I read more recently), race is very much the focal point of the novel.

The characters were more well-rounded than in Trouble in July, I would say, which has a very formulaic beginning and an extremely predictable overweight sheriff. That novel does pick up, however, and has a more focused narrative bent. This novel is essentially a dual narrative following the two main characters, who are brother and sister. The basic premise is that they struggle to find work (increasingly so) and that the white inhabitants of Estherville exploit them in a range of ways, knowing that their word can never be taken against them.

Of course, it is an uncomfortable read in places but not if you are used to reading lots of Southern literature. I am, of course, not condoning the actions of the story - only suggesting that if you read a lot of Southern literature there is nothing that new to be surprised and offended by.

Whilst I did enjoy Place Called Estherville, I can see why it is not as lauded as some of Caldwell's other works. It works as a set of consecutive, but fairly unconnected chapters, following Kathyanne and Ganus Bazemore. Perhaps naively, I did not predict the outcome. In retrospect, I suppose I should have. There is a strange sort of optimism at the conclusion of the book but of a very dark sort and after disturbing and cruel events. There is some humour, especially in scenes involving Ganus and a range of white women, but this is decidedly less prevalent than in Caldwell's earlier works which focus on the down-and-out poor rural whites. I wouldn't imagine that you will get any belly laughs out of this book! I had my fair share in God's Little Acre, Tobacco Road and Georgia Boy but this feels much more serious.

I do recommend reading this if you are a fan of the author but I doubt that it will stick with you as some of the other mentioned novels do. For instance, I am certain that I will reread those other mentioned novels but Place Called Estherville I would be content to read just once.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about the lives of black people in the South after the civil war. The date of the story isn’t given, but my guess while reading was the early 1900’s. At least some of the people had telephones, so it could have been later, up to the 1960’s.
The story tells us how black people would get encouraged/forced into problematic situations, and then leaving them with no recourse. It was a book, which told how hard it was to be a black person at this time.
For example, one young, black, young man, Ganus, worked for a white family. The teenage daughter in this family would, when the parents weren’t home, tell Ganus to do crazy things, such as stand on his head for hours at a time. When he couldn’t endure it any longer, and fell, she would kick him for not waiting until she told him he could get out of position. He had no recourse to her behavior. If he said something to her, she would tell her parents he’d been backtalking to her. If he told her parents, they would punish him for daring to talk bad about their daughter. He had no choice but to leave that employment.
His next employment was with a woman who wanted to have sexual relations with him, which he couldn’t do under any circumstances. If he was caught, he could be sent to jail or be killed by an outraged husband. He had to leave this employment too, but he had trouble finding work, since neither previous employment would give him good references.
Ganus had a sister, whose travails working in white homes were also detailed. There was nothing the siblings could do. Finally, Ganus was killed by an angry husband after his wife had made up a story about how Ganus had tried to rape her. His sister ended up having a child by one of the white men she had worked for.
I didn’t enjoy this book. I don’t like hearing about unpleasant things anyway, and most of these types of stories about the hardships of being black weren’t new to me.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very beginning of the book I knew how it’d end. I wasn’t exactly right but I wasn’t wrong either. I wanted to stop reading it! I didn’t want to know that people could treat other people that way! The main characters in this book are tortured in every way possible and all they are doing is trying to live! I cried at the conclusion of each chapter and thought I can’t read another word but much like reading “Schindler’s List” I felt a need to keep reading! When I was a teenager in the 1980s I was chosen to attend some college classes at the University of Arkansas and it turned out I was the only white student in one of the classes. It was a science class and was fun and I enjoyed getting to know the other kids. We formed relationship and one day toward the end of our time together we were talking about me being the only white person and one of my friends asked me if I was ever afraid of them. I told them that I had been anxious in the beginning but that I was never afraid of them. I then jokingly asked if they were afraid of me. Most of them laughed about it and made jokes but one young man waited until all the giggling subsided and then quietly said, “I’m afraid of what your words can do to me!” I never quite understood what he meant until I read this book. It gives me a whole new understanding! I am changed!

[Missy LeBlanc Ivey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic first published in 1949 - Kathyanne Bazemore and her brother, Ganus, are mulattos who work for ignorant, dominating whites in a fictitious town called Estherville.

Ganus works for the Singfield's, who are the most prominent and wealthiest in Estherville. One problem..they've got a whack-o-doodle daughter, Stephena, making eyes at the handsome mulatto. One day the parents left for church and she stayed behind. Stephena came downstairs and started her advances on poor Ganus, making eyes and talking seductively. He held firm. So she became stern and yelled at him to obey her. She told him to stand on his head. He did. And when he stood back up, she slapped him snd told him she didn't say he could quit.

She returned to her bed where she undressed and Ganus finished cooking her breakfast and brought it up. The girl is out of control. She advances. He backs away. Then suddenly, they are on the floor her on top and she's biting his wrist, drawing blood. He's screaming. The only way to get her off is to put her in a choke hold. She finally releases. Next thing, she's in bed crying that all she wanted was for him to hug her, and she got him to do that...even if it was a choke hold.

Meanwhile, Kathyanne works for George Swayne and his wife, Norma, who has left for the weekend to visit family. George has never been allowed to walk around barefoot in his home. Now that Norma is gone, his plans are to kick off his shoes and lay around all weekend with the freedom of just wearing his socks. But, Kathyanne is suddenly on his mind and he realizes just how pretty the seventeen year old is. He begins his advances on her and he thinks she's flattered.

You can see where this is going. Erskine loves to make fun of white people in the south. His stories are just off the wall and outrages. This is about as racist as you can get. It's too bad authors today don't feel the freedom to openly express themselves as Erskine does.

[Leah ❥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really compelling. It’s not usually my first choice, but I already owned it and wanted a shorter read. The story follows Ganus and Kathyanne Bazemore, mulatto siblings living in the town of Estherville, and gives a detailed look at their daily lives. Their struggles and hardships are portrayed in a realistic and often heartbreaking way, making you reflect on the real people who lived under such circumstances. I felt such sympathy for them, as they are genuinely good people, but the cruel and racist attitudes of white society at the time severely impacted their lives. Even the kind hearted white characters don’t get happy endings. Overall, it’s a powerful book that provides a realistic depiction of the systemic racism black people had to endure.


“But, it’s the law, and there’s no getting around the law, you know. That’s how things are in this world.” (Caldwell 130)

“We’re all human beings, Will,” he said kindly. “You’re going to have to learn to treat all people alike, white and colored, or else there won’t be any place for you one of these days. I know that you and a lot more like you think you can keep this a white man’s town, but you’re wrong. The world has changed a great deal in the last generation, and it’s going to change a lot more in the next generation.” (Caldwell 150)

[Freddie the Know-it-all · Rating 5 out of 5]

Place Called Outlier-ville and the Power of the Underdog

Cast of Characters

1. Two luckless Underdogs, calling them "saints" would be faint-saint praise -- just like in real life.
2. Dozens of rotten Overdogs. ALL of them are crooked, liars, horny, and cruel-as-cruel-can-be -- just like in real life.
3. One Middledog: a kindly, people-are-people-know-what-I-mean country doctor who is also progressive enough to Believe the Science and Raise Awareness about Climate Change.

But I can't imagine what Ernie is tryin' to get across to us with this story.

Can it be he's tellin' us that Underdogs are great and Overdogs are no good? We all know that. Nobody who values his job or liberty would ever say otherwise. So where's the story? Does he think no one's been watching TV commercials or the news or movies all these years?

I know I liked it because I learned two new trees: chinaberry and blackjack. But I can't expect everyone to be as big a Nature Boy and Tree-lover as I am. Maybe you love Underdogs and can't get enough of such tales. In that case this book will have you dabbing at your tears of self-righteous sorrow (joy).

But only if you're a really true Underdog-lover.

[Dean McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

PLACE CALLED ESTHERVILLE by Erskine Caldwell -- Mixed African American-Caucasian brother and sister Ganus and Kathyanne Bazemore move from a rural country farm to the small southern city of Estherville to care for their aunt and seek better lives. Kathyanne finds work as a housemaid and Ganus finds several odd jobs. Unfortunately, both become victims of the harsh and bitter prejudice, discrimination, and harassment in Estherville. Kathyanne is underpaid or even unpaid, taken advantage of by established White men, and eventually raped. Ganus goes through several odd jobs and frequently finds himself in situations where White women want to take advantage of him, despite his resistance and protests, sometimes with unfortunate results from husbands and neighborhood boys. Erskine Caldwell, author of the popular TOBACCO ROAD and GOD'S LITTLE ACRE, here portrays the harsh reality of mid-20th century racist rural South with vivid characters, harsh events, and strong language. Four stars. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

[Laçin Tutalar]

Infuriating on several pages. Could Caldwell’s personal history as a reverend’s son help understand how he portrays women and men specifically morally troubled? Perhaps. Unfortunately, I read this book during when I became aware of the 1991-dated news on homicide of Laotian Konerak Sinthasomphone, and it was immediately the same question in my mind: why is the average American so comfortable with racial and ethnic violence? Is it ennui? Is it really self-indigestion that has accompanied settler-colonial lifestyle? Is it the luxury of institutions and religious morality that allows one to reset guilt and live without questioning one’s motives? Is it the perpetual adolescence being promoted in the country? Obviously I am not asking such questions for all; as someone who’s familiar with what American South means now, I am aware of changes and variations on discourses on race. But this book makes sense in 2022. And it shouldn’t have :/

[Filipa Caetano · Rating 4 out of 5]

É um excelente livro para compreendermos o quão enraizado está o racismo na sociedade americana, mas, neste caso, circunscrita à região Sul. Do início até ao fim, a sensação de perigo iminente persegue não só os protagonistas como também o próprio leitor. É uma sensação sufocante e omnipresente. A dicotomia entre branco/preto suscita um pesado sentimento de injustiça, revolta e insegurança. Essa dicotomia desumaniza de tal forma que as ações dos dois irmãos, Ganus e Kathyanne Bazemore, que querem trabalhar para viver de forma digna, são sempre condicionadas pela sua cor de pele. São vítimas permanentes da violência gratuita, manipulação e perversidade dos cidadãos brancos de Estherville, quando as suas "ordens" não são devidamente cumpridas.

[Jesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“George oía hablar de vez en cuando de algún negro al que echaban del condado de Tallulah o pegaban una paliza por no mantenerse en su sitio y mostrar el debido respeto a un blanco. Muchos hombres alardeaban de mano dura con los negros y aseguraban que ese era el motivo de que hubiera tan pocos altercados raciales.”

“En su opinión, los dólares de los negros valían lo mismo que los de los blancos, pero, por principio, mantenía a la gente de color fuera de su local en la medida de lo posible cuando no estaban comprando algo que pudieran pagar, ya que la mayoría de los blancos de Estherville evitaban las tiendas en las que se permitía congregarse a los negros, y más de un comerciante había acabado en la ruina por no prestar más atención a esas cosas.”

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly amazing book by Caldwell. Yet another book set in the Deep South focusing on a mixed race brother and sister in a small town. It follows in a similar line/ genre to Katie Chopin and Toni Morrison by depicting racial issues and tensions as a whole, not on a large or grandscale but, on a few people in a small town. Some of the scenes depicted, although uncomfortable by today’s reading, it is hard hitting and really makes you think.

Caldwell as per usually is so vivid in his scenes and depictions. It was oddly refreshing to read one of his books that didn’t revolve around alcoholism, religion and priests.

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estherville

Mr. Caldwell is an excellent writer and this book is no different. Set in the deep South the book deals with the things contemporary with the times and naturally one of the books' themes is the living and working relationships between the Blacks and Whites living in Estherville.
Caldwell uses the "N" word quite expeditiously and even so, if you realize the contemporary environment that he is depicting, the word loses much of its venom.

I have read several of Caldwell's books, beginning with Tobacco Road and I have enjoyed them all. Consequently, I recommend this book.

WLM
SC

[Jose Antonio Moch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things have definitely changed over the past 70 years. When that change from a Ganus Bazemore to a Henry Beck took place is the focal point in America. Some may like it some may not. The only weak point in the book is that Kathyanne and specially Ganus are represented almost as nonentities. Thus painting for me the lives,the living conditions and the rustic dwellngs' descriptions of the hillbilly women that caused a helluva lot of trouble quite endearing. Great skill for dialogue specifically for those of the brutal and hypocritical men and women in power back then.

[Mr Gerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the most blatantly racist of all Caldwell's reads. Highlighting the nastiness and danger that the white folk posed to the blacks of their community. Some great writing here that takes you right there amongst all the tension when things get really rough for the young brother & sister who do nothing wrong but suffer so much. It seems to me that all of Caldwell's books are very powerful, exciting & near the knuckle reads. I've become a real fan. This particular book sold 1.5 million copies.

[Jordi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me encanta Caldwell y, aunque esta no es su mejor novela, el autor vuelve a la carga con su paisaje y temática habituales. En este libro, se enfoca en el maltrato racial y, particularmente, su vertiente del acoso sexual. Dos jóvenes hermanos negros (varón y hembra) son hostigados por mujeres y hombres respectivamente en capítulos alternos en los que, además, para la sociedad sureña de EUA, aparecen como culpables en lugar de víctimas.

[Beth Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third Erskine Caldwell novel I have read (Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre are the others). His writing is brutally honest and raw in his depiction of the depression era South. While the poverty, racism, cruelty and a prevailing ignorance are, at times, difficult to read, Caldwell gives the poor, the minorities, the wicked and the ignorant a face as well as a voice.

[Andrés Zelada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Última novela de Caldwel de todas las que tenía por casa y quise leer a ver si expurgaba o conservaba. Aunque esta, dado que se caía de vieja, se iba a ir fuera sí o sí.

Es la historia de dos hermanos negros, Ganus y Kathyanne, que han vivido siempre entre gente de su raza, hasta que tienen que mudarse a la ciudad para cuidar de su tía enferma. Al principio consiguen buenos empleos, de criados en dos casas, pero las cosas no tardarán en ponerse peor. Y cuando algo empieza a empeorar es difícil que deje de hacerlo, sobre todo cuando está por medio el racismo sureño.

La novela tiene una estructura muy curiosa, como una escalera: un hermano baja un peldaño y eso empeora las cosas para el otro, que tiene que seguir bajando... Los capítulos alternan el punto de vista de él y el de ella sin que ambos lleguen a interactuar en ningún momento. Eso me ha parecido muy bien logrado.

El problema es que todos los episodios de esta degradación son similares. Ganus cae presa de mujeres blancas crueles o lujuriosas contra las que no puede rebelarse porque el mero hecho de estar en su compañía se castiga con la muerte a poco que ella diga una palabra. Kathyanne cae presa de hombres blancos crueles o lujuriosos contra los que no puede rebelarse porque cualquiera que viniera no le sería precisamente de ayuda. Y así hasta que, al final, y como ya veíamos venir desde el principio, asesinan a Ganus y Kathyanne tiene un hijo con un blanco .

[Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erskine Caldwell talks to a southern town that seems to be changing as it relates to prejudice and hate but not soon enough for Ganus Bazemore who is killed simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and because he was black.