Sarah: A Novel by J. T. LeRoy
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Book Reviews of Sarah: A Novel
Book Review: Well worth reading
Summary: 4 Stars
Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Who would have thought that there were so many truckstop devotees of cross-dressing children in West Virginia?" The answer: gullible Americans who also (apparently) needed to believe in a whole world full of gay and cross-dressing truckdrivers, not to mention a popular truck stop with a gay chef serving food like "fresh corn ragout" with "calf liver reduction sauce," "medallions of chicken fried Ahi," "liver with creme fraiche strudel," "Appalachian foi gras with apple crisp in ver jus with grilled tender mango" ..., well, you get the picture. This is high camp. Anyone who found plausible autobiography in J.T. Leroy's writings deserved to be duped, if not beaten over the head with a baculum.
Nevertheless, "Sarah" has both humor and heart. It is for the most part well-written (although the final chase scene is overdone and a bit too Hollywood, in my opinion). "Authenticity" in any case doesn't come from faithfulness to real-life details and is not synonymous with stories of abuse and suffering. (Anyone can write those.) Rather, it comes from creating a character and making him or her come to life on the page. J.T. Leroy / Savannah Knoop succeeded in that regard.
Book Review: Deranged fairy tale
Summary: 4 Stars
As with J.T. LeRoy's other book, "The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things", it's hard to tell while reading "Sarah" whether what you're reading is a memoir, fiction, or some combination of the two. Whatever the case, "Sarah" is an entertaining, provocative and often funny read. Whereas the stories in "Heart" were realistic, disturbing accounts of horrific child abuse and the ramifications, "Sarah" reads more like a deranged fairy tale, set in the strange world of southern truck stop prostitution. The main character is an abused and neglected 12-year-old boy who decides to become a truck stop prostitute both as a way to compete with and reach out to his prostitute mother. While pursuing his "dream," he comes across a vast array of colorful, crazy and over-the-top characters, including deified pimps, superstitious hookers and perverse trucker johns. Although missing in action for most of this book, the presence of the title character and main character's mother, Sarah, is always felt, as he is constantly yearning for her approval, her attention, and her love. Sometimes there's a good reason behind "hype": J.T. Leroy is a remarkable talent.
Book Review: Wildly imagined characters and plot...
Summary: 4 Stars
Good work Mr. Leroy. These characters are so vivid and memorable. I could almost see all of these people they were described so well... and even though most readers of this book couldn't fathom the lifestyle of these characters, they were still endearing and memorable because we can understand the way they react to their life and surroundings. They're just like us, in a wierd way. There's a little Lymon in all men, I'd say. And Sarah, such a sweet little innocent thing. I'm surprised how sane she actually was.What a wacky plot too... who could ever imagine such a bizarre set of events? From Glad to the Jackalope to Pooh and Le Loup's Coop. Hahah!
The writing is smooth and simple mostly. Some metaphors and images might have overdone things a bit but for the most part the writing is excellent and unobtrusive.
I didn't find it overly dark, like so many other reviewers have mentioned. It was rather tame really. For the lifestyle these people lived, there was very little blood or gore or sex or sorrow. It was actually pretty uplifting.
Buy this book, it's highly entertaining.
Book Review: Wonderful, Horrible, Awful, Beautiful
Summary: 4 Stars
With simplistic language underpinned by clever subtleties, Sarah keeps you interested without wearing you out. This book is not for everyone--it will shock some and bore others. Some will find it beautiful, others grotesque. In any case, it is so easy to read, it's worth it for the experience either way. If you end up not liking it, you won't have wasted much time.Personally, I enjoyed Sarah. It was not nearly as shocking as I'd anticipated from some reviews, and it proved to certainly NOT just be a piece of "shock literature" as some readers suggested. Leroy straddles a line between humor and horror that leaves you unsure if you want to wince or giggle. And like the skilled prostitutes he describes in the book, Leroy milks those wonderfully agonizing edges for all they're worth, keeping closure of the moment ever out of reach.
If nothing else, I recommend this book just as an experience. No matter if you mix well with it or not, you will take something from it.
Book Review: Strange and wonderful and new
Summary: 4 Stars
JT LeRoy reminds me of an unsung writer I admire named James Purdy. His books are full of what most discerning individuals would label diseased or degenerate charcters behaving in a manner befitting their nature. Strange, yet often wonderful writing which deserves to be celebrated for daring to present a unique vision of our world. JT LeRoy writes the same way. It's almost as if they were related in some way. I've read critic's who compare him to Carson McCullers - but they are simply all wet. Carson never wrote characters or situations at this level of absurdity. There is a constant sense of unreality in this work, which absolutely separates it from any tangible comparison to the work of Ms. McCullers. They must not have made the Purdy discovery themselves or they would surely credit him as an influence. Regardless of who may or not have influenced LeRoy, his is an original voice. "Sarah" is a wonderful, wild, repellent, roller coaster of a novel.