*January/February
2002
Book Sense
76 Pick
~Lucy
is young, pretty, newly married to a rich farmer...and
obsessed with handsome Billy, a new guy in town with no
future. She's also bright, funny, and mean, and there's
snappy writing about good ol' boys, strange family members,
and bigotry. An outstanding first novel.
-
Cheryl Maze, OSU Bookstore, Corvalis, OR
*Barnes & Noble Discover Great New
Writers
(Fall 2001 selection)
Since
1990, a group of Barnes & Noble booksellers has met
seasonally to select the best forthcoming new work by
debuting and underappreciated writers. Chosen solely on the
basis of literary merit, these exceptional books are
promoted throughout Barnes & Noble.
If Lucy Fooshee's story doesn't make readers both howl with
laughter and cry with empathy, they might want to check
themselves for a pulse! For in Alison Clement's fiction
debut, she has created a thoroughly real protagonist -- one
whose struggle for identity and transcendence will mirror
their own.
A big fish in a very small pond, Lucy Fooshee knows her
turf. A local beauty queen, Lucy holds her scepter high in
her small midwestern town, where taking down a wealthy
farmer is about as much success as a girl could hope for.
Newly married to the second-richest farmer in the county,
Lucy feels the envy of her neighbors -- and gloats. After
all, she's got everything she ever wanted: great clothes, a
nice house, and the love of a hardworking man who pays for
it all. So what's the problem?
The problem is that Lucy's definition of "everything"
changes when Billy Lee comes to town. A "dark horse" whose
past is sketchy and whose future is unsure, Billy Lee isn't
exactly a reasonable girl's dream. But Lucy is beyond
reason when it comes to Billy Lee. "People think they know
what love means, but they don't.... And when you do know,
nothing else matters.... It's like one of those dog
whistles you blow and nobody can hear a thing, but all the
dogs bark and whine and go crazy. And whenever Billy is
around me that dog whistle is blowing." Alas, when Lucy
responds to that call of the wild, it leads her to a place
fraught with pain, uncertainty, and loss. But one thing she
doesn't lose is her spunk, and for that we are mightily
glad. —editors, Barnes & Noble Great New Writers