Slow Way Home Book

I'm not sure how I missed the original publication of this book. I've read two other books by Michael Morris and I loved them, so when he contacted me and told me this one was just released on audio, it went right on that Audible list. Right at the top of it.

So here is what you get with Michael. Southern storytelling. Not just Southern, but hot, sticky, humid, jasmine-scented, kudzu-infested, dirty road Southern. His books aren't necessarily in-depth character studies. They are an epic adventure. There's oppression and greedy folks and damaged souls. This tale is one about young Brandon Willard, raised by a mama who hops from man to man, weighed down by her addictions and shattered dreams. With the opportunity of moving to Canada with her latest loser, she dumps Brandon off with her parents and disappears from his life. Brandon finds a stable home with Nana and Poppy and his cousins until his mother shows up wanting him back. His grandparents grab him and run, knowing that the system won't favor them, and establishes a new life in northern Florida, where Brandon learns about God, the KKK and love from a Sister Delores. But as the reader, we know that his past is going to catch up with him.

Morris really knows how to spin a tale, and he also is supremely talented in making me FEEL stuff. Pain, sadness, frustration, joy. That poor child's mother is both enraging and pathetic, and it makes all emotions come alive while listening. The love Brandon receives from others around him is also extremely touching. I've felt this way with all Morris's books.

The narrator for this book, Michael Butler Murray, WAS AMAZING. Really, his performance, which included all kinds of accents and attitudes, brought this book to a whole new level. If you love a good audio, don't miss this.