👶👶👶 The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy

This has to be one of the harder reviews I’ve had to write. On one hand, I really enjoyed Mr. Conroy’s writing. There were some who found the writing overly flowery, but I’m a sucker for beautiful language, and luxuriant vocabulary. What I struggled with more, were the inconsistencies throughout… For example, I couldn’t reconcile the violent, abusive man, with the one that would allow his wife and daughter to speak their mind about his inadequacies. Generally, abusive men never allow their family members a voice, especially when it belittles them. Also, both Tom and Savannah felt contempt for most everyone in their life, while expressing undying love for them in the same breath; it was baffling.

Another issue I had, was the vacillation between the banal and the outlandish. Conroy would describe a situation in this dysfunctional southern family's life, then suddenly throw in a circus tiger as a pet, turning a perfectly believable situation into an ridiculous one. The same holds true for the escapade to Florida. Sometimes, it was difficult to determine whether the author was going for a believable depiction of the South, or a journey into absurdity.

Also, I truly disliked the constant allusion to incest between Tom and both his sister and mother. Though it may have been the author's attempt to relay Tom's sensual nature, it was revolting. Thankfully, it is not something that ever came to fruition in the novel, but the suggestive dialogue was completely unnecessary and very distasteful.

Finally, the climax of the novel was incredibly difficult to stomach. The author certainly succeeded in surprising me, and since I never saw it coming, I was absolutely horrified. It was such a disturbing scene, and one that will sadly stay with me for a very long time. Honestly, it wouldn't have diminished any aspect of the story, had he allayed the terror in that scene a bit.

On a more positive note, I did feel a connection with the characters (even the despicable ones). Mr. Conroy did a magnificent job of fleshing them out, and most of them became very familiar and endearing by novel’s end.

All in all, despite the length, and the aforementioned flaws, it was still an alluring novel.

Read 5/17/16