Down the Steep
This novel is set in the Tidewater section of Virginia in 1963, where Willa McCoy has just turned thirteen and idolizes her father, a local teacher and member of the Ku Klux Klan. In Willa’s innocence, she believes what her father espouses, that the Klan is protecting their way of life and that Black people are dangerous.
Willa’s life progresses without incident until she is sent to babysit for Ruth, the new pastor’s wife who recently moved down from the North. When Willa arrives, she discovers that Ruth has invited Langston Jones, a Black boy from town, into the kitchen after he mows the lawn. Willa has never encountered any Black person on a one-to-one basis. As the plot unfolds, Willa begins to understand how smart Langston is, changing all her preconceived beliefs and forcing her to acknowledge the racism in her small town.
It isn’t until Langston discloses that Willa’s father is having an affair that Willa’s world begins to implode. Furious that she has spent 13 years trying to impress her father, she now vows to expose him for his infidelity. Launching her plan, she is too young and naïve to realize the ensuing maelstrom that will envelop her life, put Langston at risk, and ultimately destroy her family.
The plot moves swiftly along with strong characters that are definitive of that era. I hoped and prayed that Willa would make the right choices and then furiously read, turning the pages to find out if she did. Highly recommended.
