October 17, 2016 - 13:57
My initial reaction to this novel was that it was going to be dark and have a tragic ending. When first reading the book I disapproved of Snipes' and Billy's relationship. It didn't really seem as if Snipes genuinely cared about Billy. Later on readers find out that Snipes actually already has a wife and kids and was just messing with Billy which was heartbreaking to learn since Billy was so excited for the wedding. Now, Billy is still unmarried and still is carrying Snipes’ child which Snipes has abandoned as well. Moreover, Parks conveys the idea that being a Beede means that one is cursed with bad luck. This obviously does not help with anyone's situation. On top of that Willa Mae, who is Billy's mother, did not have the greatest reputation and passed away trying to abort her unborn child. Therefore, I thought it was destined that Billy would follow her footsteps. Moreover, Dill, who seems to be a character people trust has stolen Willa Mae's jewels although she instructed Dill to bury her with the jewels. Dill has kept this a secret from everyone and is using the jewels to sell for money when she needs it. These events along with many others such as the bankruptcy of Teddy's church, I just assumed the novel just was going in a downhill spiral. When I reached the last few pages of the novel I was pleasantly surprised that it in fact has a happy ending for almost all the main characters. The ring is found. Teddy starts preaching again while June finally gets a prosthetic leg. Laz uses the ring to propose to Billy and now they are expecting a child. The novel, despite my initial reaction, ended on a very happy note.