Dig

Epigraph: "A man who prides himself on his ancestry is like the potato plant, the best part of which is underground." -Spanish proverb

Spoiler alert

The Shoveler, Malcolm, the Ringmistress, the Freak, and CanIHelpYou?: Five teenagers, related but unknown to each other, struggle through various obstacles: frequent moves and a missing father; a dead mother and a father dying of cancer; an abusive father; a pair of violent brothers; and a racist mother.

Over the course of nearly three months, from a winter snowstorm to Easter dinner at Marla and Gottfried's, the Freak flickers in and out of the lives of the other four, drawing them together.

Marla (and her oldest daughter, Jean, CanIHelpYou?/Katie's mother), are poisonously racist. Marla can show more never get over finding out that she received Black blood in a transfusion when she was twelve; since finding out, at twenty, she's felt ashamed. (Her oldest daughter, most like her, owns a bell that used to call slaves to work on a plantation.) Gottfried is not blameless himself - he failed in a business venture, then purposefully drove his family farm into the ground, ruining his father, brother, and sister - but his larger failure is his inability/unwillingness to stand up to Marla and help their children. Instead, she cuts them off when they do things she doesn't approve of (get pregnant, marry the wrong person).

The five teens have a different perspective and different beliefs from their grandparents, but still grapple with the effects of racism and white privilege in their lives.

Quotes

Six thousand sentences spring through my mind and none of them get to the finish tape. (The Shoveler, 45)

The tunnel. There are rules. The rules are: nobody helps you in here. No one can give you answers. No one can give you a hug. Other people come and go, but you can't see any of them. Makes you want to get out as soon as you can, but once you get out, you only want to go back in again. It's comfortable because its what you're used to. The truth lives here. Underground. (CanIHelpYou?, 211)

Maybe all girls think this way....Maybe we're all in a tunnel that way. And maybe we're all walking around heartbroken because we just want to be loved in a way that isn't even possible. Because - let's face it - boys aren't taught the same things. They aren't taught to be prince charming or even nice, for the most part. (CanIHelpYou?, 265)

What mattered was they didn't want to watch their loved ones suffer.
And outside of my grandparents, I can't say I've ever met anyone who wanted to watch their loved ones suffer. (Malcolm, 208)

You need to understand, this isn't a childhood. This is a diorama. (CanIHelpYou?, 281)

...But Easter...is the one day she dreads every year because she has to see these people she made - people who don't really love her. Or people she doesn't really love. She can't figure out which came first. (Marla, 326)

"You guys don't know how to have any fun! Gottfried yells into the woods. "The whole idea is to be the first one who finds all the eggs! Not to help each other!"
The teens ignore him. (330) show less

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I bought for my Kindle.

Thoughts: This is a weighty book (subject wise) and not necessarily a comfortable read. It also takes some time to process. The story follows five individuals (they end up being cousins but you don’t know that at the beginning of the book). Each of them lives in less than ideal situations; one has a dying father and no mother, one lives with a single mom who is obsessive about stealing, one lives with an abusive father, one lives with a very aggressively racist white pride mom, and one seems to be able to flit about the world at her will.

I just now read the synopsis here and it is kind of spoiler filled in my opinion. Part of the fun of reading this was the show more journey of trying to figure out how all these five teens were connected. At first the story seems a bit random, jumping from one character to the next, but I love how it all came together. Then there is the Freak, who is able to fade in and out of different locations at will; I love the magical realism this added to the story and found the premise behind this intriguing (although it remains a mystery for most of the book).

There are a lot of social issues tackled here too. Racism is the most prevalent theme, as is the ever present benefit that being a white suburbanite gives you in society. However, there are also strong discussions around abuse, anger/hate issues, mental health, and sexism. In addition to that this book takes a good look at that white privilege suburban culture and picks it apart. Is this class actually happier because of their privilege or are they as much of a mess as everyone else?

Through Gottfried and Marla we get a look at an older couple’s perspective as well; they made money and stability for themselves (not their family) their top priority. However, does that make them responsible for their kids' decisions? Should they have supported their kids better in the past and can they make amends by supporting them better now? What about their mental health issues (especially Marla’s) and the way that is reflected in their kids?

As I said there’s a lot going on here. It’s very well written and very engaging. I had a lot of trouble putting this book down, I just had to know how things were going to unfold. The way the story came together was amazing. Given the nature of the story it is fairly open ended, however, I thought it ended perfectly. I have read almost all of King’s books (I haven’t read Switch yet) and this is definitely one of the strongest ones. It’s not as whimsical as some of her other stories and is less ambiguous as well.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. I am a huge A.S. King fan anyway but I thought this was one of her strongest novels yet. This takes a look at such a wide breadth of societal and mental issues and does it in such an engaging way. I loved how the whole story came together. This is an uncomfortable read at points (there is self harm, abuse, rape, hate crimes) but everything was very relevant to the story. I would recommend to those who don’t mind a heavier, thoughtful read that makes you take a hard look at our society. show less

People are SLEEPING on King's novels. Especially this one. As ever, her books are weird and wonderful and hardhitting and heartfelt and just GOOD. "Dig" is both noticeably King but also unlike any of her other books. This one tackles a big sprawling family, a family with ancestors who were potato farmers, and a whole lot of the dirty issues that come with secrets, prejudices, teenage-hood, privilege, selling weed, anxiety, and finding purpose. It sounds like a lot, and in many ways it is. The narrative bounces back a forth between a pretty big cast of characters, but the glorious bit is that these characters are fascinating. Not always good, decent characters, but ones who feel real and relatable. If you like your books with a big dose show more of surrealism and plenty of depth (and a poem about worms), "Dig" is a must-read. show less

I never quite know how to talk about A.S. King's books. They aren't straightforward narratives that walk up and say "Here's your story and here's the lesson you should take from it." They're skittish things, like stray kittens, who nose up to you out of the corner of your vision but, when you turn to look at them, they dash away to hide in the shrubbery and peer out of you with glowing eyes. Dig is no exception. It twists and turns and bobs and weaves and not until the very end does it stay in one place long enough for the reader to get a good look at the thing as a whole.

And what can I really say about it that is going to make any sense and not give the whole thing away? Five kids, all misfits and outsiders. One older couple, set in show more their ways and estranged from most of their family. Two brothers—two rather unpleasant brothers. Assorted parents and other adults, all of whom are rather awful in their own ways. Who are all of these characters? I can't tell you. How do their stories relate? Can't tell you that either. All I really can tell you is that Dig is weird and wonderful and painful and beautiful, like that feral kitten mentioned above. You need to accept that it's going to do everything it can to elude you and when you finally corner it to get a good look, it's likely to hiss and scratch, but you'll love it anyway. show less

This novel has structural issues - GREAT ones! The primary characters, all teenagers, are introduced as dramatis personae mostly by description, not name: Can-I-Help-You, The Shoveler, The Freak, Loretta Lynn & Her Flea Circus, and Malcolm. All have terrible parents and for most of the book they lead separately miserable lives, their only commonality being The Freak, who observes each, assists, and disappears. The Shoveler gets an after-school job as a house painter for an elderly couple, although their walls are all in great condition, and the new paint is the same color as the old. Can-I-Help-You works at Arby's as a drive-through cashier and weed dealer. Loretta's father brutalizes her mother. Malcolm's dad is dying. It takes a bit show more of effort to follow the threads, but as the marvelous plot jells, The Freak's intentions and identify come clear. Although there’s only one non-white person in the book, it is saturated by the pernicious influence of racism. Possibly mis-categorized as YA, this story is as admirable and compelling as any of the best aimed at the adult market.

Quote: "White isn't just a color. White is a passport. The world is a white amusement park and your white skin is your ticket." show less

All the best books are about love. All my favorite books are about how love is the fuel to not just endure, but overcome the sh*tiest of circumstances. It doesn’t cost anything to be nice, but it costs us dearly when we choose to be stingy of heart.

Picture frigid and distant parents. Picture five siblings who weren’t nurtured to be close, scattered by the winds of circumstances; even the one who managed to be wealthy is still miserable. Then picture five screwed up grandkids discovering they have equally screwed up cousins and coming together to make it all right. With love.

This work reminds me of John Updike’s Rabbit books, right down to the fact that it takes place in the awesome city of Reading, PA, although it’s never show more actually named. The pagoda always gives it away.

Some other reviewers found the magical realism strange. I found it necessary. We could all do with a lesson from one who can see the beauty in even a screwed up family. show less

I am impressed. I picked this book up from my local library on a whim - it was one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

Dig is a novel about inherited hatred, the mythology of families and the legacies they pass to their children. It spans over three generations of the one family, and speaks on white supremacy, privilege, abuse, and bigotry in such a brutal and honest way - it’s awful, and powerful. There were genuinely moments where this book, it’s storytelling and imagery, took my breath away. As the author says: this book will make you uncomfortable, and it’s supposed so.

Trigger warning: implied rape & sexual abuse, (addressed) racism, parental abuse & neglect, homophobic slurs