IN A PICKLE

In Whitehorse’s novel, a woman’s eyes are opened to the secrets of her one-of-a-kind lover.

When readers first hear about Charles Madison Montgomery Washington, he’s just a boy living with his sex worker mother, with his only examples of manliness being his mother’s many clients—any one of whom could be Charles’ biological father. However, Charles isn’t the focus of the story; that’s narrator Sweetie Bird Charles, whose unique manner of address—a sort of patois of literary Southern drawl, coastal slang, and general linguistic laziness—is sure to dazzle readers from the outset (“I know a thing or two about slick-talkin’ folks,” she begins). Sweetie met Charles in adulthood and became one of his lovers, and not long into their affair, he began moving furniture and appliances into her home. Soon after, though, Charles told Sweetie he was going away on business, and he’d be gone nearly a year. Not to worry, he said—he’ll return from this “conference” with a slew of new contacts in his field. Sweetie’s still not sure what field that is, but she finds out when Charles’ 20-year-old associate, Dick E.—his getaway driver—spills the beans. Dick is there to case the joint, but he doesn’t get far because Sweetie’s wise now, and after she sends him packing, she immediately proceeds to tear apart Charles’ belongings, hoping to unearth every long-held criminal secret. This is the point at which Sweetie’s, and the reader’s, true enlightenment begins, as both find out just what kind of guy Charles is. Over the course of this novel, Whitehorse sketches out Sweetie as a character who’s equal parts Huckleberry Finn and Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird; she’s a rare character who’s simultaneously intelligent and ignorant, and readers will surely find her sober renderings of the lies people tell to be appealing, whether those falsehoods are big or small. Sweetie’s unique narrative voice will make readers follow her anywhere, but there’s also plenty of plot to make sticking around easy.

A wonderfully spun yarn with an unforgettable narrator.