Life improved in California for the men of the house. Fast Eddie made it big as a stunt man in Hollywood. Son Jimmy Boy became a young screenwriter. Everyone realized their dream in the Golden State except for Betty Mae.
Despised and taunted by her new neighbors, victimized again by her worthless husband, and increasingly estranged from her beloved son, Betty Mae struggles to keep her self-identity.
❥ CONTENT WARNING: Crude language, adult subjects, and trigger warnings for those that have experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
❥ PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon | Goodreads | Google Books
One thing I don’t like about novels is when you start reading without other reviews it’s hard to gauge if there are any language or themes that certain readers might find disturbing. From the beginning I could tell this was going to be a book that triggered me, and sadly I was correct. Crude descriptions of molestation, obscene language, and alcohol use are among of the few things that were triggering to me personally and I constantly found myself wondering if I should just give up and put the book down, but I didn’t.
I did feel for Jimmy and his sad existence, and cannot imagine having parents like he had, or being raised the way he was. Honestly I only kept reading to see what happened to him. I will say the ending was justified and disgustingly satisfying, retribution paid in blood, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved to be done with this book.
The writing is rudimentary, though I believe that is the intent, as it is written from the perspective of an adolescent, and the author does a great job of tying your heartstrings to this little boy who didn’t ask to be in the situation he’s in. I also felt so bad for his mother and her upbringing, that part of the story triggering me the most. I couldn’t get it off my mind even after I finished reading, I was that disturbed, and have waited months to write this review because I honestly have the most mixed feelings about this book.
If I could sum up Okie: A Family Saga in one word it would be depressing. It is one of those stories that sticks with you, but not in a good way, and I can’t honestly say whether I can or cannot recommend reading it. For those that decide to attempt it I will say this: proceed with caution.*
James Allen Mitchell began his career in his twenties teaching creative writing, before resigning to travel to Europe to “write the next great American novel.” After a year abroad, he ran out of money and returned to the States with a one-hundred page draft he would complete years later. In the meantime, he launched a career as an executive speechwriter and wrote for executives at four different corporations, the last being IBM.
At IBM, Mr. Mitchell served as an executive speechwriter and magazine publisher, before becoming a corporate communications executive. As an executive, he worked on assignment in Paris for more than three years. Not until he retired from IBM did he rewrite Piccadilly Circus, the novel he began in Portugal almost 40 years earlier.
Since retiring from IBM, he has also written two other novels: a literary romance that takes place in Manhattan and Paris and is based loosely on his own experience as a publisher; and a third novel based on his childhood in Oklahoma and his teenage years in California.
Mr. Mitchell and his wife live in Connecticut where they raised two sons and now enjoy the company of a grandson.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book, which I read through Kindle Unlimited. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.
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