The Bottoms

I've been aware of Joe R. Lansdale as a writer of short stories and novels for over fifteen years; but, until a few days ago, I'd never read anything by him. I'm not sure what drew me to THE BOTTOMS. Maybe it was the fact that this novel won the Edgar Award for 2000, or possibly it was the large number of positive reviews that were written about it. Whatever the reason, my curiosity was peaked to the extent that I wanted to read the novel now, in hardcover, rather than wait another month for the Trade paperback to come out. I wasn't even sure if I'd like the book; yet, I felt compelled to buy it. Now, let me say that over the last forty-two years, I've probably read somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000 novels. Though there have been hundreds of books I've enjoyed over the years, few have managed to capture my heart and soul in such a way as to leave me with a profound sense of what it means to be a human being. This is a rare experience, but when it happens, I know that it's something that will stay with me for many years to come. THE BOTTOMS by Joe R. Lansdale is one of those miracles of writing that had such an affect, and what troubles me is that only a small audience of people is actually aware of this book. I hope my review will help alleviate this to a certain degree. THE BOTTOMS is the story of eleven-year-old Harry Crane and the tragedy that transpired between the years of 1933 and 34 in the small East Texas town of Marvel Creek. It began on a normal summer day when Harry and his younger sister, Thomasina, were out hunting squirrels along the Bottoms with their dog, Toby, and accidentally discovered the tortured body of a dead black woman. On their way back home to get their father, Jacob, who is the town's constable, they are stalked through the darken woods by something or someone that could be the legendary Goat Man. The two kids make it back home safe and sound, but just barely. When Jacob Crane is told about the body, he recovers it the next day and begins an investigation that few white people seem to care about. Eventually more bodies are discovered and the town realizes that it has a demented killer within its midst. It isn't, however, until a woman, who is partially black and white, is murdered that the "good" citizens of Marvel Creek decide to take matters into their own hands. Because of a careless error on Jacob's part, an innocent man is lynched, and he must come to grips with the totality of his mistake, as well as his failure to stop the hanging. It's a burden that can weigh heavily on the shoulders of a decent person. As the killings continue and someone very special to young Harry is brutally murdered, he and his sister take it upon themselves to solve the mystery of the Goat Man and find out who the killer really is. Of course, the killer knows that the two Crane children are hunting him and has plans of his own for dealing with them in a very special way. Joe R. Lansdale's novel is a morality tale in the grandest sense, dealing with the deep roots of racism and how people can close their eyes to prejudice and injustice. It's also a story about life itself and how human beings (both and bad) choose to live it, probing the emotions of guilt and shame like an open wound, while at the same time depicting heart-felt acts of courage and redemption. Filled with difficult questions concerning love, friendship, what its means to be a man, and doing the right thing when the odds are clearly stacked against you, Mr. Lansdale offers no easy answers and doesn't pull his punches when delving into the dark side of human nature. All of the characters in this novel resonate with a life force of their own, luring the reader into their world, making you believe each and every word that's written. I was there at night, in the woods, when the Goat Man stalked Harry and Thomasina, feeling their terror in the pit of my stomach. I breathed in the close friendships that Harry had with old man Mose and Miss Maggie, not to mention the schoolboy crush he had on his beautiful teacher, Mrs. Canerton. I raged and then wept when Jacob and Harry were beaten down to the ground by the lynch mob, knowing the anguish they felt at not being able to stop what was about to happen. And, I trembled in fear at the final confrontation between a young boy and a human monster, understanding that bravery often comes with the risk of death. THE BOTTOMS isn't a novel that can be read and then put away, but one that readers will live and feel to the very core of their being. This book is Joe R. Lansdale's masterpiece, as well as his breakout novel into mainstream fiction. It deserves to be recognized on a much wider scale, and I sincerely hope that those who read it and love the book as much as I do will pass the word.

The works of Joe R. Lansdale have been recommended to me so much in the last 3-4 years. I have a strong affinity for coming-of-age tales so I was told very convincingly by several people that THE BOTTOMS was a must read. (Thanks to Steve and Chad!)I buddy read this with my friend Tracy and I'm not exaggerating when I say we devoured this book. I started Thursday night, Tracy on Friday afternoon and here we are on Sunday morning fangirling over Lansdale.I am in utter and complete awe of his storytelling ability. THE BOTTOMS takes place in East Texas, just after the devastating effect of the Depression in the 1930s. This was a difficult time for all Americans but nobody felt the effects harder than African Americans-especially in the deep South. KKK led lynchings and beatings were rampant.Our story zeros in on a family living by a river-an area known as THE BOTTOMS. The father, Jacob (I love this man) is the local constable. He's married to a strong, beautiful woman and they have two children, Harry who is like 12 or 13 and Tom (Thomasina) who is just a bit younger. The narrator is Harry and he's telling a tale in flashback from a nursing home. I love Harry so much I could cry right now trying to explain how special he is. Lansdale wrote the most endearing and beautiful relationship between a father and son. It was so refreshing. I have read a lot of books lately where the father figure is an old, abusive, hypocritical drunk so it was such a sweet reading experience to hear Harry talk about his dad like the hero he was. In a time when segregation and racial prejudice is at an apex, Jacob-Henry's father-teaches his family to treat people fairly and he doesn't do this in a self-righteous preachy way, but he leads by example. This really reminded me of what I loved about TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. So if you enjoyed that book, you'd love this one (trust me).Lansdale paints small-town life with exquisite and intimate details. The townies are bright and colorful. I especially loved Miss Maggie and the way she tells stories to young Harry. But this isn't a "feel-good story" of good triumphing over evil all the time--this town is saturated in hate for African Americans and to add fuel to the flames, there's someone out there murdering prostitutes. Our sweet kiddos, Tom and Harry stumble upon one of the first bodies and so dad, Jacob takes up an investigation. To tell you anymore would risk accidentally exposing some exciting discoveries so the rest of this review is just me urging everyone to read this book. Seriously. It's everything you would ever want. Page-turning action, rich storytelling, dimensional characters you immediately fall in love with (Mose! Miss Maggie! Tom! Jacob! The dog, Toby! Grandma!) and a murder mystery that gets more and more intense as the story goes on.This book makes you wince, laugh, cry, scream out in agony, surprise, anger, shock, and then reading the last bit, you cling to every word--sad that it's over. I'm so sad it's over!! I will be reading this again and it will forever make every list I make of favorite coming of age stories, best-of lists and all-time favorites. I'm a sold-out Lansdale fan now. GIVE ME MORE!

Lansdale mastered this story of white and black segregated life in the 1930's in the Big Thicket swamp of East Texas, near the Sabine river and its floodlands. A serial murder mystery moves this character and social history study along in a brisk and engaging way. A mixture of Huck Finn adventure and classic horror story would rivet even a bored, slow teen reader.

I was incredibly excited to receive this book after reading a number of positive reviews.I was disappointed though still enjoyed the overall story. I do not give spoilers away in my reviews but I feel on this occasion the twist or expected shock at learning of certain things in the novel was entirely expected.The topic and theme of racism and the abhorrent crimes committed has always interested me, more due to the lack of humanity which I find deeply saddening. This book does highlight this well and there author writes with subtlety to ensure certain incidents are read with the right amount of realism without the need to over emphasis certain points.This comes with a draw back, being that I found it quite the characters and Overall story quite one dimensional until nearer the end and as a result found it hard to engage with the characters and the story as much as I would like.Overall a good book, one I'm sure others will enjoy more than me, having read some of the most engaging and deeply saddening books written about this period in America I found this did not compare, both I story and quality.

I stumbled across Lansdale and have now read several of his books, which are a little bit like Quentin Tarantino in words. Mostly rollicking good fun with a good dose of horror. But I found this one just a little bit too close to the bone and the paedophile villain just too far the side of unpleasant. I am happy to have Lansdale on my book shelf- but not this one

Good read really enjoyed not for the faint hearted. Back in time but appreciate today what one human being can do to another. How people live with hate. And outlines Mental illness. We'll written would recommend.

Not my normal genre but thoroughly enjoyed this. Very evocative of east Texas in the 1930s.

Not a comfortable story and it will stay with you for a long time. My husband and I really enjoyed it; everyone I have lent it to or bought it for has enjoyed it too.