Back Roads eBook: Tawni O'Dell: Amazon.de: Kindle-Shop

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Tawni O'Dells Back Roads spielt im "schönen, zerfallenen" westlichen Pennsylvania, zwischen billigen "Eat'n'Parks"- und "Lick'n'Putts"-Fastfoodläden und erzählt die Geschichte des Harley Altmyer, der ein zorniges, selbstbewusstes Leben auf dem schmalen Grat zwischen Kriminalität und Unschuld führt. Warum wird er von den Behörden festgehalten und worüber ist er so wütend? Vor nicht allzu langer Zeit hatte seine Mutter seinen Vater umgebracht und wanderte dafür lebenslänglich hinter Gitter. Sein Vater war ein prügelnder, hoffnungsloser Mann gewesen. Und jetzt hat er auch noch die Verantwortung für seine drei jüngeren Schwestern. Diese nerven ihn jedoch so sehr, dass er sich beispielsweise vorstellt, sie heftig ins Gesicht zu schlagen, bis sie "blutige Käsemakkaroni spucken". Aber Harley hat noch ein Gewissen -- gerade noch. Er würde seine Schwestern niemals wirklich schlagen; versucht er doch schließlich, sie zu beschützen. Die älteste, die freche 16-jährige Amber, wird von den Jungs aus der Stadt auf der Wohnzimmercouch missbraucht. Die erschreckend stoische 12-jährige Misty hat Augen so "gläsern braun wie eine Medizinflasche". Die Jüngste, die hinreißende Jody, schreibt mit ihren sechs Jahren Listen, was erledigt werden muss, mit Eintragungen wie "Für Daddys Sehle beten".

Genervt von den Strapazen des Alltags und den ständig steigenden Verlusten, beginnt Harley, gleichsam seine eigenen Worte vor seinem Gesicht schweben zu sehen. Dabei gelingt es O'Dell, Harley sowohl brutal als auch entschuldbar und reflektierend darzustellen: "Ich lag da bis zum Morgengrauen und dachte über Dad nach; ich verspürte die gleiche unnütze Frustration wie damals, als ich das erste Mal sah, wie er auf eine strahlend weiße, frische Schneeverwehung pisste."

Aber diese feinen Nuancen sind bald vorüber, weshalb Back Roads droht, eine überladene Angelegenheit zu werden, stark emotional mit einer achterbahnmäßigen Entwicklung. Harleys Zorn entwickelt sich zu einem geradezu blutgierigen Verlangen nach seiner sexy, nicht mehr ganz jungen Nachbarin, was eine Unzahl verbotener Familiengeheimnisse lüftet. So stellt sich heraus, dass Misty die ganze Zeit über irgendetwas verborgen hat. Amber rebelliert, und sogar Jodys Kritzeleien werden zunehmend bösartig. Obwohl der Stil durchweg gut ist, erscheinen Spannung und Handlung beinahe pubertär -- eine Verbindung aus gewaltgeprägter sexueller Leidenschaft und beißender Düsterkeit. Glücklicherweise bleibt jedoch O'Dells selbstsicheres und rührendes Porträt ihres Protagonisten davon unbeschadet. Man wird den glücklosen, vom Schicksal verfolgten Harley Altmyer im Gedächtnis behalten, lange nachdem seine turbulente Geschichte vorüber ist. Und unabhängig davon, wie der Richter entscheidet, erscheint es plausibel, warum dieser verarmte, zornige junge Mann wahrscheinlich der Unschuldigste von allen war. --Jean Lenihan

Amazon.co.uk

Not since SE Hinton (The Outsiders) has a female novelist penned such a tough and titillating portrait of lower-class, crime-ridden manhood than Tawni O'Dell in Back Roads. Set in "beautiful, ruined" western Pennsylvania, amid Eat n' Parks and Lick n' Putts, the novel follows Harley Altmyer as he walks a raging, self-conscious line between crime and innocence. Why is he being held by the authorities, and what's he so mad about? In the recent past, it's his mother, who murdered his father and went to jail for life. In the far past, it's Dad himself: an abusive, hopeless man. In the present, it's the responsibility for h is three younger sisters, which makes him fantasize about smashing their faces in until they "spit up bloody macaroni and cheese".

This first novel opens well. O'Dell does an impeccable job of making Harley both brutal and forgivable but Back Roads risks becoming an overabundant affair, pitched high, with a roller-coaster trajectory. Harley' s anger metamorphoses into an almost bloodthirsty lust for his sexy, middle-aged neighbour, which stirs up myriad forbidden family secrets. Misty, it turns out, has been hiding something. Amber revolts. And even Jody's scribbles turn malevolent. While the writing is good throughout, the tension and plotting assume an unpleasant adolescent posture--bodice-ripping passion and mordant gloom combined. Nonetheless, O'Dell's assured and touching portrait of her protagonist emerges unscathed. You will likely remember luckless, fated Harley Altmyer long after his tsunamic tale has receded. --Jean Lenihan, Amazon.com

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A moving novel 30. Juni 2005

Von HORAK

Format:Taschenbuch

The main Character in Mrs O'Dell's story is Harley Altmyer, an 18 year-old boy living in the small town of Laurel Falls. He has to look after his younger sisters, Jody, Misty and Amber, because their mother is serving a life sentence in prison since she killed their father. He works at a Shop Rite with two incompetent work mates, Bud and Church, under the command of the useless boss Rick. And he has a second part-time job at Barklay's Appliances. Their house is a permanent chaos and it is very difficult for Harley to make both ends meet. He is assigned a social worker and a psychoanalyst whom he both loathes. But he has no choice since he doesn't want his sisters to be officially declared orphans and be sent to foster families.
The strength of this novel is the fact that the events are seen through Harley's young mind. He is often confused because he is not mature enough to have two jobs and educate his younger sisters at the same time. They in turn consider him more as a brother than a father and as a result there are frequent rows between them, especially between Harley and the elder girl Amber who strives for independence. But Harley is very much concerned by the well being of the girls and his worries even once make him have a hallucinatory vision of finding them dead at home, piled up in a pool of blood.
At the same time he is looking for a girlfriend and wonders if it is possible to love someone without getting personally involved, without any mutual feeling or judgement. His first relationship is a confused one with a neighbour, Callie Mercer, wife of a bank manager and mother of two children. And Harley often recalls his father and how he used to ill treat his children.
His struggle in life is all the more impressive since he gets no support at all from any adult, not even his uncle Mike.

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Backroads Review 27. Juli 2000

Von Maribeth higbee

Format:Gebundene Ausgabe

I found this book extremely interesting. I couldn't wait to share it with my husband. He loves it too. A very insightful story into human passions gone beyond control. I sympathized with the protagonist and his sisters, victims and perpetrators. I couldn't put this book down.

I couldn't put it down! 24. Juli 2000

Von Susan McNulty

I, too, grew up in an old mining town in West Central Pennsylvania. It brought me back to my childhood and the vivid descriptions remind me of my hometown...in the back roads of PA. Now I'm grown up and live in New York, but I loved the book and encourage other to read it as well. The character descriptions were excellent. Just a fine piece of writing. O'Dell is an excellent writer. I couldn't put "Back Roads" down once I started reading it! I can't wait until her next book come out!