In paging through the early part of the book, I found myself thinking about one of my favorite mysteries ever, the superb To Kill a Mockingbird, the first and so far the only novel from Harper Lee. Ms. Lee created one of the most intriguing books of the 20th century with Mockingbird, a coming-of-age tale that has entertained millions over the years, as a book, then an Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck at the gentle but stern Atticus Finch (one of the great heroes in modern literature).
Mockingbird became a stirring play and marked my single entry onto the boards, as the old Players Theater in Columbus, Ohio, produced a version by playwright Ed Graczyk back in the mid-’70s. I played a member of the jury at the murder trial that makes up the key piece of the story. Even had two lines during the mob’s attack on the local jail.
Never mind that.
The Bottoms takes place in the ‘30s in east Texas, where times are hard and the races live separate but unequal lives. Lansdale tells the story through the eyes of Harry Crane, a youngster not yet into his teens. Always tagging along is his pretty, younger sister Thomasina, known throughout the community as Tom.
The suspense begins when Harry and Tom stumble upon the trussed-up body of a local black prostitute. Harry’s father who’s the local constable while also operating the town barber shop, tries to investigate what happened to the woman, but he gets no encouragement from town “leaders,” who see little reason to spend time on the murder of a black woman. Not in those days when the white-robed Ku Klux Klan, which has some of the community’s leading men as members.
The Bottoms keeps suspense at a high pitch, but Lansdale also never lets go of his story of good versus evil. There are several close escapes for the redoubtable Harry, one of the most likeable youngsters to enliven a taut tale of death and race relations.
Lansdale avoids preaching. He’s too smart for that, and he makes his points about blacks and whites getting along without turning the novel into a sermon.
MORE UPDIKE TALES -- A full page in small type is required to list the books of John Updike. So far, Updike has published over 50 books, including my special favorites, the quartet of novels which follow the life of “Rabbit” Angstrom.
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