CNN - Review: 'Josey Rose' - August 26, 1998

(CNN) -- Author Jane Wood shows promise with her first novel, weaving a mesmerizing tale of a young boy's childhood in New Hampshire during the 1960's. At times, "Josey Rose" is fraught with violence, but it still captures the magical moments of growing up. The twisting and turning plot ultimately reveals a bone-chilling secret.

Young Josey is a scrappy survivor who has had to fend for himself for most of his life. His mother died when he was young, and he lives with his alcoholic and abusive father, Willie, and his slightly crazy Grandmother, Ru, who has visions of Indians and knows much more than she lets on.

With no other siblings to commiserate with, Josey receives the brunt of his father's frequent brutality. Kicking Josey's beloved dog, Maggie, into the fire, pumping Josey's birthday cake full of bullets, and locking him in the basement for 11 straight days are only a sampling of his father's violence.

After each brutal episode, Josey's father storms out of the house and disappears for several hours before stumbling home and passing out. Josey discovers that his father goes to a deserted chapel in the woods where he has his way with a mysterious woman.

Josey goes to the chapel and befriends the woman, learning that her name is Lily and that she is his cousin. Lily is a troubled soul who is confined to the chapel during the day, only to come out at night. Few know of her existence.

Josey becomes infatuated with Lily, spending all of his time with her, ignoring his friends, and showing little interest in dating.

Josey attempts to escape his turbulent home several times, only to return for fear that his father will harm his Grandmother or Lily. When Josey's father abruptly takes Lily away to an asylum at an unknown location, Josey spends every free moment for the next several years trying to find her. His search turns up long kept secrets that show the great extent of his father's cruelty.

Wood at times bites off more than she can chew. For example, to drive home the point that Josey has no one to turn to, Josey goes to his minister for help, only to have to fend off his unwanted sexual advances. The incident comes off as underdeveloped and stereotypical.

"Josey Rose" starts off as a well-developed story with well drawn characters, especially Josey. But in the end it gets bogged down in its own bizarre plot twists, declining into a sordid episode of "The Jerry Springer Show".

Josey, who for most of the book is a fascinating character -- reminiscent of a modern day Huck Finn craftily dodging his drunk father -- in the end has more in common with another literary character: Oedipus.

Tom Faucett is a freelance writer who lives in Atlanta.