Summary:
From the day that Morgan Lee is born, her extraordinarily
beautiful and withdrawn older brother, Ginx, is obsessed by her. As Aunt Lois
recalls: "Ginx thought you belonged to him Morgan Lee. He would sit on our
big couch right there in his sailor's suit and hold on to you for dear life . .
. He didn't speak normal till he was five, then-bang-one day he's just talking
away in complete sentences. But he wouldn't say, 'I.' He said 'we,' meaning you
and him."
Inhabiting their own parallel world, the two communicate
through a secret language and make-believe stories; when Morgan Lee begins to
explore friendships beyond their closed circle, however, Ginx becomes
increasingly disturbed. In luminous prose, Martha Witt explores the intense and
private world inhabited by these siblings and the inevitable and necessary pain
of their separation.
Review:
Broken as Things Are is by far the best book I’ve read all
year! And normally I try to read three to four good size books a month,
although books like Broken as Things Are might present a problem to that
number. It’s not the kind of book you want to read fast. Think of it as your
favorite food, and you only get a little bit. Savor.
The writing is superb, the dialog drips with a realism
I’ve known all my life living in the South, and the descriptive use
highlighting and paralleling the dysfunction and socially accepting is brought
together in an unforgettable cast of three-dimensional characters a reader
couldn’t possible forget.
The characters were so unforgettable, especially the
struggle between Ginx and Morgan-Lee, that it becomes the plot. I don’t think
I’ve ever seen a writer weave something so beautifully by allowing the
characters to drive the words with such a demanding force. Morgan Lee and the
journey she had to take into womanhood and then Ginx, her brother, where her
affection is questionable and solid. Ginx suffers from autism, and needs Morgan
Lee, clings to her, but their journeys have different paths and then other characters
drift onto these Southern Gothic roads making things interesting to say the least.
I want to read more of Ms. Witt’s work! And being a North
Carolina resident, I plan to recommend this book as a one for the list.
