Little Altars Everywhere Book

Consider this a review of all three of the Ya-ya books because what I have to say about this one can't be said without referencing (without spoilers, of course) the other two.

These books are going to be love/hate for everybody who touches them. So let's get the good out of the way: some people say this series sucks because it's another quirky my-dysfunctional-family series and really, that's misleading. The movie made it into that, sure, but these books are a lot deeper than that. Wells writes characters as people. In one story, the characters are delightfully gray. I mean in one story, all of the characters will be right and wrong simultaneously, caring and aloof, vindicated and unquestionably unforgivable. By writing characters this way, you really get a fuller narrative. These characters could easily be people you know, maybe even people you've met before. And the range of characters and narrations is a delight. Also, I love how well connected all the books are. You learn one detail from a story and it pops up in other stories, from the point of view of others or as a reference or an example. You see these characters from 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person, with different people taking on different roles and evolving (for many of them) from childhood to adulthood. My favorite example of this is Mr. Ogden who is an often mentioned character (the least "fun" of the husbands). He starts as a reference, even sometimes as a stereotypical stuck-up older white man, but by book three, we see him as a fearful grandfather, a protective father, and a vulnerable man all in one story. It's a great evolution and it's nice to see characters written this way in short story format.

The major problem that readers will face is a difficult one. All people triggered by child abuse or alcoholism, stay away. Do not even bother with this. And that is part of the problem. In Little Altars Everywhere, we find out that Vivian abuses her children above and beyond "hey, it's the 1960s and everybody hits children as a form of discipline". If you've seen the movie, it is much worse in the book and, in one story, we find out as an audience that Vivian sexually abused one of her children, the extent of which is vague. This issue is never brought up again. Ever. It's in one story from one of her children's point of view and while the story is well written and deals with the honest truth of coming from an abusive home and being unsure of one's body and one's boundaries with others, that's it. One well written story and done. It's never mentioned again in any of the other books. So you, as a reader, see so much about how Vivian has suffered and how she gets into crazy escapades with her girlfriends...all while knowing that she's a child molester and a child beater. And the main book (the one the movie is based on) takes a sinister feel to it when you realize that the Ya-Yas are trying to fix a relationship between a woman and her mother who abused her. Do they excuse her behavior? Yes and no at the same time and it's uncomfortable. But through this exploration of Vivian, we see the cycle of abuse and how it continues from one generation to the next. So many people gush about Vivi as if she is the most awesome thing ever and I think the movie is slightly to blame for that because when you hear her mother's back story and see what happens with her children, it's really hard to sit through her stories. It's hard to empathize with her and it does color many of the stories from her point of view.

Does she have a tragic back story that causes everything? Yes and it is heartbreaking to watch how she is nearly broken over and over again. But does it take away from her unapologetic attitude about the abuse? Why does Siddalee need to have her relationship mended with her mother? Why don't her siblings have a similar experience? It puts a sour taste in your mouth and that might be too much for some readers.

Also, I'm really not sure how to feel about this but there are at least two (I might be remembering wrong) stories from the point of view of the Walkers' black maid and handyman. Their stories, while a more honest portrayal of black people than you usually get from Southern literature, are still hard to deal with without getting headaches at the stereotypes that Wells doesn't break. I think they're worth reading but bear that in mind, POCs. It's not THE HELP but it's not BELOVED either, okay?

I personally like these books because of the development of character and setting, not for the happy fun joy ride with kooky characters that some proclaim that it is. I like it because it's realistic and every happy ending has a black lining through it. If you're curious, check it out but I really cannot stress enough that you go into this series knowing what you're in for.