The Middle of Somewhere by C. Henderson
A Fun, Romantic Tale of Breaking Down and Finding Love
Mar 31, 2009
The story begins with Eadie, a young woman determined to strike out on her own when her girlfriend leaves her. Eadie is pierced, punky, and outspoken. When her car breaks down in a small town in Texas, she is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers.
Breaking Down Stereotypes
Eadie dreads being stuck in this small town, where the community life is built around the local church. She is rescued by two sisters, Piggin and Heifer, vividly drawn characters the reader can fall in love with. Even with her looks, however, they take her in immediately, offering her a place to stay as well as work so she can pay for the repairs to her car.
It is here that Henderson draws her first stereotype and breaks it down. The women of this church are not fanatics, nor do they try and convert Eadie to their way of thinking. Instead, they accept her as she is, making her quickly part of their motley family.
Henderson also shows the people of Henderson as people, rather than as small town stereotypes. They have their difficulties; one deals with an angry, abusive alcoholic father. Another is married to a con-man. Eadie comes to care about these people, just as they come to accept her into their own little community.
Love and it's Vagaries
While Eadie is running from a relationship with serious issues, including those of addiction, she finds herself alone and unsure of her self worth as a single woman.
What this tiny town teaches her is that she is a person worth knowing, all on her own. Even when she meets a woman she cares for, she comes to realize that in order for them to be happy together, she must learn to be happy with herself before she can offer her heart to another person.
Love plays a part in Piggin and Heifer's lives as well. Heifer once loved someone deeply, but because of fear of rejection and the condemnation of her town, she lives solely for her sister and her church. It is Eadie's arrival that shows Heifer love might be a better alternative to a life in isolation.
While romance plays only a small part in this book, it is still worth the read. Henderson builds lively, believable characters within a rich tapestry of small town ideologies and values. She takes on social commentary without pounding the reader over the head with it. She also avoids the stereotypical happy ending, and the reader is glad that she does.
Clifford Henderson lives in Santa Cruz California. She run the Fun Institute, a place of improv and solo performance, with her long time partner. Her work has also appeared in Romantic Interludes: Discovery, Porter Gulch Review and The Bear Deluxe. Her next book, Spanking New, is due out in 2010.
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