The Walls Are Closing In On Us
George is a young half-Choctaw man trapped within walls he doesn’t even know exist. He cannot escape them any more than he can escape his skin. He tries, though—traveling from a reservation in his native Mississippi through a landscape of violence, love, a circus, and multiple deadly fights with man and beast, all the way to North Carolina, where he finally comes to rest until it all inevitably catches up with him. He has lost his Choctaw heritage, he can never be truly white, he is bigger and greater than his fate—but those walls are aways in his way, and they are getting closer. We want to take care of George, protect him, turn him aside from his bad choices even if they are the only ones he can make. So do many of the people he meets along the way. That is what makes this book a tragedy, and a remarkable one.
Spanning between about 1910 and 1960, told in Southern Gothic style and based on tales of the author’s mysterious ancestor, the narrative voice is raw, unfinished, and superbly appropriate. Mystical elements surround George, sometimes mocking him, sometimes showing him the way, and always just a step out of reach. I’m glad I got to know George, even if only a little. Highly recommended.
