BETTY

I have never read a book like this. Betty seamlessly transitions from heartwarming, life affirming prose to devastating, haunting prose. It’s so beautifully written that you can feel all the joy and all the heartbreak like it’s your own. And knowing that the book is inspired by true stories makes it surreal. It’s definitely one of my most favourite books I have ever read.

I remember laying my eyes on this title back in 2020 when it was released. I knew, at the first glance through the plot, that I would love this novel. What I did not know was that two years later, it would consume me wholly, keep me glued to its pages over loud rings of my laughter, unnerving anguish and incessant crying making it difficult to see the word through the blur of my tears. It is the story of the Carpenter family where two babies have died and six children have survived infancy and are making it to childhood. We are told the story from the words and eyes of Betty, one of the six children, who is unable to come to terms with her Cherokee identity and the 1950s american life. They move to a house that is supposed to be haunted, quite close to the woods, in a white town where soon, with their moving in, news of someone firing gunshots has terrorised the whole town. It is in this setting we find Betty who is scared of her mother who has disturbing outbursts, her sisters Flossie and Fraya who have ambitions and anxieties of their own, her brothers Leland, Trustin and Lint who are taken by certain inhibitions- sometimes empathy and sometimes absolute hate. And then there's Betty's father who she is obsessed with and the stories he tells her about eagles touching heaven, the glass-heart, the star-catcher, and of two wolves living inside our bodies. My heart cried with joy every time I heard her father let Betty and her siblings in on a secret about nature, about the God in the trees and the river carrying their breaths. I don't think I have read of a man obsessed with religion being portrayed with such sensitivity and care. I wanted the religion he taught, I was ready to give all my life in practise of a religion her father inculcated to his children. From the very first sentence I was taken in by the writing, it was indulgent, it draws you in with every turn of the page. The author's craft, her artistic spirit to tell a story of her identity, perhaps fictionalise accounts form her personal life was exuberant. Emotionally, it is not an easy book to read. I could feel ALL echo in its pages at times, the pain, the violence and more so in this book. It ripped me apart and I re-read chapters because I could not stop crying. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to you. It may be a difficult read emotionally but, trust me, it's worth it.

What more can I say beyond the title of the review? It is, in fact, the best book I’ve ever read. Betty is a painful coming of age story that examines the complexities of family and the freedom of forgiveness. Beyond beautiful in every way.

The anticipation I had going into this one was unparalleled. Most everyone that I know loved it. Some of my more “seasoned” friends even claimed it “broke” them. So when I get reviews like this with almost universal admiration, what do I do? Sure, I pick it up. But with all this advance mass adoration you better believe I go into it looking for warts and embracing a mild touch of cynicism.“Betty” by Tiffany McDaniel tells the story of...well...Betty...who is the daughter of Landon and Alka Carpenter. Landon is Cherokee; Alka is not. The family lives in Breathed, Ohio, a small backwoods Appalachian town. as McDaniel says, “Ohio Appalachia is a place where families are raised and individuals step into their own light.” And that is exactly what this book is about. With seemingly no apparent plot, McDaniel chronicles the early life of her mother, Betty, along with her parents and siblings, each with dark secrets and inner demons.My reading habits on this book started by taking notes after each chapter, posing theories and questioning motives. Where was it going? Who were the heroes and who were the villains? Where were their story arcs going? The first couple hundred pages built their world and laid the seeds for what was to come. But, to be honest, I was not feeling all the love early on readers were heaping on this book. But that’s McDaniel’s skill. Because it changes quickly.We meet some beautiful people and some horrible people. I wondered if the beautiful would turn horrible later on—was that the twist here? Was I listening to an unreliable narrator? Landon Carpenter seems too good to be true. Perfect father totally engaged with Betty and her siblings. But Alka’s family are monsters.Betty and her siblings seemed wise beyond their years in how they spoke. I started to feel as if McDaniel was the one speaking, not them. And Landon always had a story for every action and occurrence relating to a Cherokee legend. McDaniel says it best a little more than halfway through when Landon and another friend with a vivid imagination recount a dream—“while other men spoke of reality, Landon and Cinderblock John spoke of things they believed.” And this is exactly true. Landon Carpenter teaches his children to dream and notice the hidden world around them. He is an even tempered father the kids all love. He stokes their imaginations and keeps the wonder alive. Given the world they find themselves in, these Cherokee myths are far better to believe in than their reality which is full of racism, violence, bullying, and despair.This belief in these stories comes to play a pivotal role many times throughout the novel. But my favorite scene was, after Betty has grown into a young woman, Landon recounts how he got the gnarled scar tissue on his burned hand after she asks him about it. At first he tells a fictionalized account of how he got the scar, a story about a burning book and a hummingbird. Upon finishing the story, he says to Betty “what I’ve just told you is the beautiful lie. Would you like to hear the ugly truth?” This is the first time he ever admits his stories are lies to hide ugly truths. And the book is loaded with ugly truths. But Betty is no longer a little girl and doesn’t need the lie—she’s seen plenty already.Once we get about three quarters through the book, everything comes into focus. Characters motives are revealed; those ugly truths come fast and furious, some of them explaining earlier events and actions which I didn’t take much notice of at the time. Clearly McDaniel DID plot this story out and it all coalesces seamlessly over the last 100 pages. At this point I couldn’t put the book down. There were some all out intense scenes with heartbreaking results.Words I can use to describe this story? Heartbreaking. Stark. Sonorous. Deep. Bleak. Hopeless. Depressing. Loving. Pure. It’s Cormac McCarthy-esque impact with Ray Bradbury-esque delivery. Beautiful, metaphorical, deep words. All the emotions running rampant through a backdrop of rural poverty and struggle. Even though I came into the book a little skeptical, I left it as broken as others. Landon Carpenter’s relationship with his children is something every father should aspire to. It will stay with me for a long time.5 out of 5 fractured stars

This is a coming of age family drama, based on the author’s Mother Betty. The writing was so beautiful, I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this before, this was breathtaking! I was fully immersed and invested in this from start to finish.Although this was beautifully written, some parts of this story are not for the faint hearted and I did have to take some breaks with this read, as I found some of this seriously distressing , there are some really really traumatic scenes in this book, that nothing could’ve prepared me for, that will haunt me forever I think ! This contains all triggering subject matter, so I wouldn’t say this would be for everyone and I would say you do have to be in a good place mentally for this, because I have found this very emotionally draining and do feel a bit mentally battered. I was at times overwhelmed by it, some of it was so heartbreaking.💔😭That said I am really glad that I read this book, because there were some really positive and heartwarming moments in this too. I loved Betty’s Father Landon, he really loved and cared for his children and especially his daughters, he empowered them, which I found striking considering the era the book is set in and I admired Betty’s strength, courage and resilience !This was outstanding, it definitely delivered. I’m gonna leave it up to you to decide if you want to read it. I will read more books by this author, once I’ve recover from this one, I do have another of hers on my shelf tbr.

The saddest book I’ve ever read making me cry more than once, but also one I’ll never forget with its love for native Americans and its horror at how their tenderness for the earth and its creatures has been desecrated. A beautiful book, a treasure that should be read by anyone wanting to feel the wonder and pain of one solitary Cherokee surviving in the world of the white man.

Discrimination takes many forms and poverty paints ugly pictures but…people will survive and tell amazing stories!