Dig

January 1, 2019
An estranged family's tragic story is incrementally revealed in this deeply surreal novel.Alternating narration among five teens, many of them unnamed but for monikers like The Freak, The Shoveler, and CanIHelpYou?, as well as an older married couple, Gottfried and Marla, and the younger of two violent and troubling brothers, an expansive net is cast. An unwieldy list of the cast featured in each part melds well with the frenetic style of this experimental work but does little to actually clarify how they fit together; the first half, at least, is markedly confusing. However, readers able to relax into the chaos will be richly rewarded as the strands eventually weave together. The bitingly sardonic voice of The Freak, who seems to be able to move through space and time, contrasts well with the understated, almost deadpan observations of The Shoveler, and the quiet decency of Malcolm and the angry snark of CanIHelpYou?, who is falling for her biracial (half white, half black) best friend, are distinctly different from Loretta's odd and sexually frank musings. Family abuse and neglect and disordered substance use are part of the lives of many of the characters here, but it's made clear that, at the root, this white family has been poisoned by virulent racism.Heavily meditative, this strange and heart-wrenching tale is stunningly original. (Fiction. 14-adult)

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Starred review from May 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Once there was a family who grew and dug potatoes for generations, but family disagreements led to the selling of the land. One of the brothers took his portion, developed the land, and grew money instead of potatoes. He and his wife also grew a family of five children, then decided not to pass their money on to the generation who left home young and rarely or never spoke with their parents. Each of these children had one child, cousins who had no connection with one another-if they even knew that they had cousins at all. Then in a confluence of events, all five of the cousins found themselves living within a few miles of their grandparents-the Freak, the Shoveler, CanIHelpYou?, Malcolm, and Loretta. They each have difficult family lives, and all of them are loners-until they find one another. King's delightful surrealism flows effortlessly back and forth against the stark realism of the five teens' lives, touching on issues of abuse, prejudice, white privilege, and loneliness. Gottfried and Marla, the grandparents, and each of the teens are well-developed, well-rounded characters with multiple interwoven chapters building to the climax. Even minor characters are well-drawn portraits. This combination of masterly storytelling, memorable characters, and unexpected twists and turns make this book into an unforgettable, lingering read. VERDICT A first purchase for all libraries that has great discussion potential.-Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas, Denton

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* With a style and structure similar to I Crawl through It (2015), King's surreal new novel tunnels through the consciousness of five unknowingly connected teens as they grapple with their identities within the context of their families and society. Trauma or abuse touches most of their lives, and they each find security in a self-defined role. The Shoveler's snow shovel may give him a reputation for being strange, but it also keeps him safe from school bullies. The Freak flickers from location to location, always in control of her ability to exit a situation. Malcolm's frequent first-class flights to Jamaica give a charmed veneer to a life otherwise dictated by his father's cancer. Loretta is ringmistress of a flea circus and knows her part by heart, even when her father goes dangerously off script. CanIHelpYou? works the Arby's drive-through, discreetly serving drugs to those who know the magic words. These characters brush against one another's lives, eventually coming together at an eye-�opening Easter dinner. King injects the narrative with the topics of racism, white power and privilege, and class with increasing intensity as the teens' stories unfold and entwine. This visceral examination of humanity's flaws and complexity, especially where the adult characters are concerned, nevertheless cultivates hope in a younger generation that's wiser and stronger than its predecessors.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)