Tumbling Walls
Born in Alabama in 1929, Babs H. Deal had a nice literary run. Her first book, When the Walls Came Tumbling Down, published in 1968, was nominated for an Edgar as Best First Novel. It was a worthy selection. A hardcover copy came my way recently. Set in a small college town in Alabama in the late ‘60’s, it is the story of a group of middle age women whose lives are disrupted by a ghastly discovery. While their old sorority house is being torn down, the work crew finds the remains of an infant. The skeleton’s location informs that its placement could have taken place only during the summer of ’44 when renovations were being done. Five of the seven women living there at the time still dwell in town. Two are out of state. The entire population is aware of the scandal and the women attract stares. They are good people under a microscope. How will their lives be affected? Although it may sound like a thriller, it is not. It is an examination of the bittersweet mystery of life by an astute observer. The highest praise I can give a work of art is that it gets life right. Deal nails it. She doesn’t solve it, of course. No one ever has or likely ever will. Anyone seeking answers will be disappointed. There are only questions. The novel could have been even better. It needed more polish, another draft. It is a tad overwritten, and in some instances I was unable to grasp what was being said. It took me a while to get used to the way she initiated point of view, using italics rather than a space. 289 pages, it is not an easy read. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, husbands, children, in laws, servants — but the struggle will be worth it for those who appreciate a slice of life. Here are two snippets I really liked, which occur within pages of each other very late in the narrative: “… We put the old things, the things that didn’t work, the things we don’t want to look at, in a hole in the wall. And we all hope we will be able to live with it the day the walls come tumbling down.” And : “… maybe the lonely places are the only things that make human beings of us all.” Only four users at Amazon have rated When the Walls…, forging to a consensus of four on a scale of five. I’ll add my opinion, as I do on any book I’ve read that has less than ten reviews. There isn’t much info on Deal on the web. There are eight titles bearing her name. The last was published in 1980. She passed away in 2004. Well done, madam.
This morning I began what I hope will be the final proof of the Microsoft Word file of the novel I will be self-publishing soon. I keep finding ways to streamline the thought process of the protagonist. Usually, by this stage, the endeavor is much more tedious than creative. I really look forward to diving into it. I do ten pages after breakfast, and ten more after a six PM shower, hoping for maximum alertness.
I had a terrific Thanksgiving at my youngest niece’s home in Jersey. My great nephew is finishing up his Masters in Veterinary Research at the University of North Dakota. In January he will begin work on a Ph.D at Kentucky, where he earned his undergrad degree. He’s become a world traveler, addressing conferences in Germany and Brazil. His sister is also doing well, in her senior year at Rider University, where she’s studying business administration. She has already landed a job at Price Waterhouse. We are so proud of Ronnie and Danielle.
It was too windy at my usual nook, so I ventured to my alternate book-selling site. It was the right move. I was able to do a full session despite the cold. My thanks to the woman who bought a plastic file cabinet I resurrected from the basement of the old house, and to the woman who purchased two books in Russian and 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life by Elizabeth White; and to the woman who selected a Star Wars novel in paperback; and to Gina, who has eschewed Jackie Collins because of the abundance of cursing, and chose Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star — A Wishing Story by Sequoia Children’s Publishing.
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