Susan O'Dell Underwood

You start where you start, but from there all bets are off.

Glenna Daniels, the Cocke County, Tennessee Ulysses of Susan O’Dell Underwood’s novel Genesis Road, traverses the wilds already crossed in her life while trying to figure out her next direction. In an odd Thelma and Louise, Hope/Crosby, Batman/Robin kind of adventure where whoever is driving gets to be Batman or Louise, Glenna makes this journey with her life-long friend Carey. He too is a survivor of Newport, Tennessee and has found a place for himself in the world as a gay man in Atlanta.

Here is where you have to read the book so I don’t have to worry about spoiler alerts.

Glenna’s crossroads are a unique recipe of childhood trauma, her own past mistakes, we’re talking bunches of past mistakes, a few which seem like mortal wounds, seasoned with self-pity, regret, and fear. These flavors always appear at the right time, subtly yet powerfully bring out the stories flavor.

It’s wonderful when a book moves you on one level or another, and Genesis Road created an emotional mixture I’d never tasted before. At times it made me not want to keep going. As Glenna makes the turn towards home in her 8,000 mile adventure she begins to dread and fear that point when her decisions can be postponed no longer. Feeling and sharing her fear, I also began to dread that, like all tales well told, this one too would come to an end. Glenna, being the protagonist of a wonderfully written novel had to go on. I’m glad I kept going with her.

Thomas Wolfe said, “You can’t go home again,” but he was wrong. You can go home again, especially if it is the place where you start where you start again.… (more)