The Book of Polly

January 30, 2017
Hepinstall’s Southern coming-of-age novel, about a girl who worries that her 68-year-old, Virginia Slims-smoking mother will die from cancer, could easily have been a TLC reality series caricature, with Polly Havens a hybrid of Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies and Shirley MacLaine’s Ouiser Boudreaux in Steel Magnolias. Instead, it’s full of laughter and warmth and sadness. The Walgreens-working widow who must not suffer fools at all is modeled on the author’s mother, a Louisiana native. Is Polly—who tries to kill all the varmints destroying her garden, yet painstakingly nurses an orphaned squirrel she names Elmer—a bigger handful than her 10-year-old daughter Willow, who tells whoppers about her mother so she remains larger than life, too big for “the Bear” (aka cancer) to take down? The girl, as clever and smart-mouthed as her mother, narrates through age 16 and never loses pitch. Polly stays true to her cantankerous self, refusing to divulge her secrets to her daughter, and Phoenix Calhoun, her adult son’s high school friend, acts the righteous dude as he watches over the two women. This is a warm and fresh tale, made so by characters as varied as the evil Montessori-schooled twins next door, Willow’s steadfast friend Dalton, and a Bible-thumping faith healer.

Conceived "in something close to a bona fide miracle," when Polly was 57, 10-year-old Willow worries that her now 68-year-old chain-smoking mother will succumb to "the Bear," Willow's name for cancer. Narrator Jenna Lamia is just terrific as the outspoken Willow. She completely immerses herself in the child's perception and descriptions of Polly's life. When Polly takes over, Lamia is utterly convincing, showing her to be irreverent, outspoken, and cantankerous, with a take-no-prisoners attitude and a fondness for margaritas. As Willow enters her teens, her best friend becomes her boyfriend, and the "Bear" rears its ugly head. This story could have been sickeningly sweet, but Kathy Hepinstall's writing is crisp and never sentimental, and Lamia's character portraits are honest and engaging. Wonderful listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine