WEEK OF JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 5
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
by Tiffany Baker
Fiction
Grand Central Publishing
January 2009
Don your rattiest pair of pajamas, turn off the ringer and settle in for one of the simplest pleasures in life - uninterrupted reading. It’s impossible to close the book on the tantalizing characters in “The Little Giant of Aberdeen County.”
First-time author Tiffany Baker plops you smack dab in the middle of an intriguing world set in motion by magic, secrets, life, death, romance, lust and betrayal. Meet narrator Truly Plaice, a morbidly obese girl with problems as large as her enormous frame.
“Look, it’s a girl, not a boy.” These reluctant words are uttered by Dr. Bob Morgan, one of many Morgan physicians, as he ushers a “little giant” into a judgmental world. This difficult birth is punctuated by the death of a disappointed mother who longed for a boy; and the angry men who wage a bet on the weight of this hefty newborn; but nobody comes even close.
“Ten pounds, seven ounces,” said John Hinkleman, who owned the general store, slapping five dollars into Ebert Vicker’s out-stretched palm, and the Reverend Pickerton countered him with a guess of eleven pounds even. “I’ll go even higher than that.” Roger Thompson blustered. “Put me down for eleven-five. Doc Morgan says this kid’s going to be some kind of record. He still can’t believe Lily’s not having twins.”
Earl Plaice and his older, perfect daughter Serena Jane prepare to make do as the new, enormous baby named Truly grows up, big and eternally guilty for her mother’s demise.
Sooner than later, bad luck wins once again. Truly reluctantly makes her home with down-on-his-luck August Dyerson, his wife Brenda, and their speechless daughter Amelia on a dusty, dilapidated farm. But beautiful, blue-eyed Serena Jane is spoiled with the finest things in life by her new family, the Reverend and Amanda Pickerton. Complete opposites, which girl is really better off? Serena Jane who resembles the dainty perfection of a swan in her fine attire or overgrown Truly who outgrows her clothes daily and seeks camouflage in dingy overalls and boots?
Fiction, more entertaining than a PG movie, is charged with clever metaphors, similes and witty conversation. Characters like Priscilla Sparrow are unbelievably believable and full of witty, humorous dialogue. Their metamorphosis are reminiscent of a sensational treasure hunt. What will readers find out about the people living in the small town of Aberdeen?
Will school bully Bob Bob Morgan ever grow up and get the girl he’s been chasing since grade school? Marcus Thompson is a know-it-all and the only boy in the entire town of Aberdeen who seems to be smitten with Truly, despite her size. He makes a grim decision as big as the outcast he is in love with. Will he regret it? Serena Jane dreams big, very big. Who will she leave behind for a dream?
As Truly comes to grips with her own legacy, some readers will make a wonderful discovery. The first clue lies in the unique pattern on the book jacket, embossed with unusual but befitting artwork. A second clue is found in the first letter of each chapter; and another clue is embedded in a quilt that for generations has held medical mysteries and depicts a diary of life and death.
The author intentionally proves that opposites attract in the relationships between Truly and Serena Jane and Truly and Marcus, to name a few. She also points out, with the help of an overweight narrator, that things are not always what they seem. For example, some unsightly herbs and plants have special healing benefits. But others, despite their beauty, are deadly. And finally, readers recognize that forgiveness comes slowly, if at all.
The ending, the only unbelievable moment in this tall tale, is a little too tidy after such tumultuous events. But it’s no exaggeration that “The Little Giant of Aberdeen County” is great fiction that’s hard to put down and impossible to forget!
MORE BOOKS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT
The Vagrants
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Plum Spooky
by Janet Evanovich
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January 2009