The Summer That Melted Everything
Tiffany McDaniel
[Scribe Publications]
Racial tension, religious turmoil, homophobia, AIDS: Tiffany McDaniel’s ambitious debut novel attempts to grapple with all the Big Themes. These coalesce in a series of increasingly belief-stretching events remembered by Fielding Bliss, a bitter, elderly man who has never recovered from them. In 1984, the town of Breathed, Ohio is more Maycomb than Oceania; it even has its own Atticus Finch in Autopsy Bliss, Fielding’s father, a principled prosecutor who invites the devil to town as a sort of moral exercise. When a young black boy named Sal answers the invitation, it’s the townspeople, not Mr. Bliss, who are put to the test.
Their failure unleashes the runaway drama of the tale, which devolves from simple childhood reminiscences into an absurdly brutal fire. McDaniel has no qualms about delving into experiences she personally isn’t familiar with, particularly those dealing with race (such as an interracial gay relationship). To cast her net so wide, it seems that ordinary language isn’t sufficient: both Fielding’s narration and others’ speech are replete with unusual similes and striving language that often falls flat. At times self-evident, at times unintelligible, McDaniel’s formulations are those of a young author who hasn’t quite found her footing. However, McDaniel’s ardour will clearly not be contained by a single novel: perhaps her burning ideas will get more time to shine in her next work.
Words – Mònica Tomàs White
