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Bloodroot
Aaron Roy Even's startling, imagistic debut takes its cue from a true In 1936, in a small town near Charlottesville, Virginia, an aging black caretaker and his sister shot dead a white sheriff acting on orders to turn them off their land.
In Bloodroot, Even explores the circumstances leading up to this violent standoff and the tragedy that followed as seen through the eyes of Elsa, a young, white county employee fresh out of school and filled with aspiration and illusion, and those of Wesley, the aging black caretaker of a vanished family's estate.
While Elsa struggles to retain her authority and self-respect, Wesley is haunted by past concessions and his sister's attachment to the land. When he stands in the way of a proposed turpentine plant by refusing the county's purchase offer, both Elsa and Wesley find themselves moving relentlessly toward an end neither wants to reach.
The novel's title is taken from the flower. Native to Virginia, its tie to the land is such that its roots bleed red when cut.
Bloodroot marks the powerful debut of a gifted writer.
In Bloodroot, Even explores the circumstances leading up to this violent standoff and the tragedy that followed as seen through the eyes of Elsa, a young, white county employee fresh out of school and filled with aspiration and illusion, and those of Wesley, the aging black caretaker of a vanished family's estate.
While Elsa struggles to retain her authority and self-respect, Wesley is haunted by past concessions and his sister's attachment to the land. When he stands in the way of a proposed turpentine plant by refusing the county's purchase offer, both Elsa and Wesley find themselves moving relentlessly toward an end neither wants to reach.
The novel's title is taken from the flower. Native to Virginia, its tie to the land is such that its roots bleed red when cut.
Bloodroot marks the powerful debut of a gifted writer.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2000
4 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Aaron R. Even
3 books11 followersAaron R. Even is a novelist and writer for television whose work has appeared on National Geographic, Discovery and Smithsonian Channels. His debut novel Bloodroot won the Associated Writing Programs (AWP) Novel Award. His most recent fiction, He Comes In Fire, was published by Atticus Books and won an IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction, 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 17, 2016
One of the best books set in the South I have ever read; I was lucky enough to score a hardback copy at a discount bookstore. One of my treasures.
October 13, 2017
A good read. Captures the racism of the 1930s. Important read in this day and time.
April 14, 2022
I read the back cover and so knew it would be an awful story, but it was so beautifully written that I savored every word.
April 22, 2010
Bloodroot is a Novel set in the 1930’s. I chose this book because it seemed interesting and I needed to do a book report. The protagonists in this story is Wesley who is supposed to inherit an estate but since he is African American at the time he is not allowed to own a piece of land. Cora, Wesley’s sister is a witness and along with Wesley she has been working for a white and powerful man for a long time. The antagonist is the county who want to build a turpentine plant on the estate Wesley was chosen to inherit. Elsa a representative wants to help Wesley and Cora as much as possible but she is given orders to convince them on taking the money by the county officials. Towards the end both Elsa and Wesley find themselves moving to an end that neither want to face.
The Central conflict is man v. society which is Wesley v. The County officials. The theme on this story would be the American dream because Wesley has worked all his life and he is finally going about to inherit a home, which at the time African Americans were not allowed to own property. Water is a symbol because floods and rain are present whenever a conflict is present.
The writing style of the author is poetic and although it takes place during The Great Depression the author doesn’t write in a depressing writing style. Bloodroot honestly, does not fall among one of my favorite books. It is a good book but the beginning doesn’t really catch the readers attention, which caused me to fall asleep a couple of times while I was sleeping. However, the ending completes the book and fortunately didn’t make me regret reading bloodroot. This book has good strong vocabulary and is well put together and for a debut of a young writer it is a good start.
The Central conflict is man v. society which is Wesley v. The County officials. The theme on this story would be the American dream because Wesley has worked all his life and he is finally going about to inherit a home, which at the time African Americans were not allowed to own property. Water is a symbol because floods and rain are present whenever a conflict is present.
The writing style of the author is poetic and although it takes place during The Great Depression the author doesn’t write in a depressing writing style. Bloodroot honestly, does not fall among one of my favorite books. It is a good book but the beginning doesn’t really catch the readers attention, which caused me to fall asleep a couple of times while I was sleeping. However, the ending completes the book and fortunately didn’t make me regret reading bloodroot. This book has good strong vocabulary and is well put together and for a debut of a young writer it is a good start.
November 9, 2008
Stunning writing. Long narratives, however, that I found myself skipping over and then had to backtrack because I had lost some of the story.
Sad commentary on the south and prejudice in the 1930's.
Sad commentary on the south and prejudice in the 1930's.
April 13, 2010
I heard about this book on "Books on the Nightstand" podcast and it sounded good but I struggled reading it -- multiple characters, all depressing. It had to go back to the library and after reading the first few chapters didn't mind sending it back.
September 30, 2010
I grabbed this book from library thinking it was one I had read a great review of. Wrong. My fault. I think the one I was looking for is Blood Mountain. Anyway, read this, but never got into it. 1930s. Small town. Black and white issues. Based loosely on true story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews