“Prodigal” is a Southern tale at its best. Secrets, lies, betrayal—a deadly trinity that moves this family story into the realm of tragedy.
In This LitStack Review of Prodigal
Prodigal by Phyllis Gobbell
Trouble and Hope
Big things are happening in the small town of Montpier, Tennessee. The Burdette family, eager to celebrate the first Independence Day of the new millennium, gets a nasty surprise when their youngest son is involved in a bungled burglary that leaves one wounded, one on the run, and several confused and devastated. The one on the run—Connor Burdette—is a 19-year-old and recently heartbroken. On the surface, the overly chastised preacher’s son comes from the perfect family complete with well-to-do grandmother, educated sister, loyal mother, and dedicated older brother and sister-in-law.
So why would Connor, accompanied by no-good Joe Ray Loomis, take a firearm to the Back Home Market? And why, if he is innocent, hasn’t his family seen or heard from him in a decade after that fateful night? Gobbell writes, “Trouble and hope wander together.” Not only could the adage apply to the unlikely pairing of Connor and Joe Ray, but to the entire narrative itself.
Family Reunion: Estranged Edition
2010—Lady Burdette, widowed matron of the family and detached, unemotional grandmother, suddenly dies after executing a major change to her will that leaves her entire inheritance to one sole person (and it’s not her only child, pastor Daniel). He and his wife, Kitty, are in shock but as the hens come home to roost, so do all the members of the Burdette family.
Ivy, the only daughter, has been away teaching college on the gulf coast but returns home after a failed relationship puts her career in shambles. Russ, the eldest, and his wife, Nikki, never left from the start with Russ fulfilling his role of dutiful son, husband, and father of two, not to mention underappreciated employee. Even their narrow-minded and often unwelcome uncle, Boone, has been hanging around more after the sheriff announces he must investigate Lady’s death for foul play and send her body off for an autopsy. Word in town spreads fast, but then, true to the novel’s title, the unthinkable happens—Connor reappears.
For a circle of people acutely agitated by perceived imbalances between what is given and received in life, they certainly know how to make something from nothing. The absence of Lady’s affection becomes a catalyst, even after death, for them to form stronger bonds, but not before that absence threatens to fatally fracture all family dynamics. As the family tries to reconcile for so much time lost, the long list of betrayals they have littered amongst themselves starts coming to light. No one has led the picture-perfect life that’s first painted at the opening of the story. It is said that hurt people hurt people, and this story is rife with pain, but it is also flush with hope.
Forced Perspective (aka How to Make Amends)
Just when the reader may think the Burdette family is obliterated beyond repair, Gobbell deftly amps the stakes by increasing Murphy’s Law within her story.
One may think that a robbery and subsequent disappearance cannot be topped but following Lady’s death the family faces challenges and secrets that throw everything else (Russ’s bitterness over his obligations, Daniel’s and Ivy’s concern for their careers) into sharp relief. With newfound perspective, the family begins patching the foundation of their relationships by navigating difficult confrontations and being completely honest with each other for once, proving that you cannot make up for lost time, but you can possibly move forward together.
Gobbell also explores what it means to be a family versus a community, as the Burdettes often have to look to each other for empathy. Despite the interconnectedness between their story and the community, the town often views them critically and, at times, doesn’t think twice about kicking them while they are down. Even Boone thinks Connor may have killed Lady—evidence that sometimes blood and water are the exact same consistency. By being forced to lean on each other though, the Burdettes are softened into more forgiving people.
Portrait of a Family Under Fire
Gobbell paints a stunningly realistic portrait of a family in crisis and fine tunes the story to both the tribulations of the individuals as well as the family unit as a whole. Her dialogue rings true, and I found myself invested in the futures of each character thanks to her balanced and relatable portrayals.
Did Connor really shoot the market clerk back in 2000 and did the victim survive? Did someone in the family actually have contact with Connor during his 10-year hiatus? Was Lady murdered for her money? Why did Lady change her will on a whim? What secrets have the Burdettes been keeping from each other?
The novel begins and ends on Independence Day and readers will find themselves rooting for this family to finally gain freedom from the burdens of trying to be perfect, the old ways of life that no longer serve them, and their grievances with each other.
~ Allie Coker
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About Phyllis Gobbell
Phyllis Gobbell’s writing career spans four decades and includes a little bit of everything. Her history of publication includes fiction and nonfiction, with a total of five novels and over thirty stories and articles. One of her first stories appeared in the anthology HomeWorks in 1996. The anthology featured a collection of writings by Tennessee authors living at that time, including Alex Haley, Robert Penn Warren, and Peter Taylor.
Two true-crime books, An Unfinished Canvas and A Season of Darkness, recount high-profile, cold-case murders in Nashville. Now Gobbell authors the Jordan Mayfair Mystery Series. The series begins with Pursuit in Provence, followed by Secrets and Shamrocks and Treachery in Tuscany, which won Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Award for Best Cozy Mystery.
You can connect with Phyllis Gobbell on her website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.
Source: https://phyllisgobbell.com
Publisher: Histria Books
ISBN-13: 9781592114788
Pub date: 11/19/2024
Other Titles by Phyllis Gobbell
Other LitStack Resources
Be sure and look at our other LitStack Reviews for our recommendations on books you should read, including reviews by Lauren Alwan, Allie Coker, Rylie Fong, and Sharon Browning.
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