The Underneath

In alternating chapters and using alternating perspectives, Kathi Appelt spins a heartbreaking tale in The Underneath, following various creatures caught up in a dance of cruelty and kindness, love and hate, community and solitude. Weaving in and around one another, the various story strands here include that of a tiny calico cat, pregnant and abandoned by her human family; the hound-dog Ranger, chained up for years by his abusive owner, who in his loneliness adopts the cat and warns her of the dangers of his small world; and the cat's kittens, Puck and Sabine, who are born and raised in the eponymous 'underneath,' the space beneath the derelict shack where Ranger's owner lives. Here too is the story of that owner, the human Gar-face, show more an angry and malicious soul whose inner nature matches his deformed face, itself the product of the terrible abuse he suffered as a boy. The ancient Alligator King, the cunning survivor of a thousand years in the bayou; and Grandmother Moccasin, a lamia - a mythological being who is half snake, half human - trapped in a buried jar for that same time, also contribute their stories to the mix. Scenes from the present alternate with flashbacks to the past, as Grandmother's rejection of love in favor of vengeance, many years before, which resulted in the destruction of her daughter's family, is paralleled by the struggles of Ranger's canine-feline family to stay together despite seemingly impossible odds.

Terrible things happen in The Underneath, such terrible things, and so many of them, that I often found myself wondering, whilst reading, whether it would make a good selection for young readers. Certainly, those of a more sensitive nature will be traumatized by the cruelty to be found within these pages. There is a darkness to many of the characters, especially Gar Face and Grandmother Moccasin, that can be very hard to take, particularly as it is so unrelieved. Although Grandmother Moccasin does have her moment of redemption toward the close of the book, Gar Face, the only human character, is depicted as wholly evil, even when a still child. There aren't really any happy endings here, and although a few characters do escape total destruction, most die during the course of the book. Despite the dark and disturbing content, this is a beautifully written book, one with a poetic cadence that I found intensely rewarding, as I continued to read. Each chapter opens with a philosophical observation, or a note on the realities of living in the world, which does sometimes give the book a contemplative feeling, although the visceral experience of suffering is never too far removed. "The world is made of patterns, one chapter begins, continuing: "The rings of a tree. The raindrops on the dusty ground. The path the sun follows from morning to dusk." Another opens with the observation that "Anger has its own hue, its own dark shade that coats everything with a thin, brittle veneer." Appelt spends a great deal of time considering the lives of trees, and their role in the story, and one of my favorite chapters begins: "Trees are the arbiter of time, gathering up the hours and days and years, keeping them in their circular rings."

This book seems to have really divided readers and reviewers, with some praising its poetry and its depiction of tragic realities, while others bemoan its false promises - that cute, winsome, deceptive cover, with its promise of a sweeter story! - and lack of hope. For my part, I am glad to have read it, and think that for some children it could be an immensely moving experience. I myself would have devoured it as a girl, and pondered its story of suffering and (in some cases) survival long after. I think that it's a book which improves the further in you get, not because it becomes less dark, but because the beauty of the language and the continuing striving of the characters against the soul-crushing tragedy of life, prove so powerful. show less

The Underneath is a middle school fantasy novel that tells two different stories simultaneously that eventually converge into one cohesive whole. In the present, Mama the calico cat is pregnant when she’s abandoned by the side of the road in the east Texas bayou. All alone, she hears the plaintive baying of a hound that speaks to her, so she follows his voice to a tumble-down shack in the middle of nowhere. She befriends the poor, old hound named Ranger, who has been chained to the porch for a long time. He urges her to stay in The Underneath, the space under the house where they’ll be safe from Gar Face, the mean man who lives there and who will no doubt try to use the sweet cat as alligator bait if he finds her. There Mama gives show more birth to two kittens, Sabine and Puck, which she and Ranger care for, telling them to always stay in The Underneath. But as Puck gets older, his curiosity gets the best of him, and one day he leaves the safety of The Underneath with disastrous consequences that leave him separated from his family and fighting for survival as he struggles to keep a promise he made to Mama.

Alongside the story of the dog and three cats is another narrative that takes place a thousand years ago in the same area, told in the style of a Native American myth from the perspective of the ancient trees that see all. It tells the story of Grandmother Moccasin, who is a lamia, half-snake, half-human. She once took on her human form and fell in love with a human man who betrayed her, so she retook her snake form and can never become human again, for once an enchanted creature such as this returns to their animal form, that’s how they’ll stay for eternity. She wandered the bayou with her only friend being an enormous hundred-foot-long alligator. She was lonely for a long time until she crossed paths with another young lamia, Night Song, who became her adopted daughter. But when Night Song grew up, she fell in love with Hawk Man, and the two of them took on their human forms to be together, leaving Grandmother feeling once again betrayed. From then on, she lived in anger and resentment until a selfish and fateful decision led to terrible consequences that ended with Grandmother being imprisoned in a clay jar for the next thousand years. In the present, she’s still alive in that jar buried deep beneath the roots of an old loblolly pine that sits on the banks of the Little Sorrowful creek, and in the nearby bayou, King Alligator still lives, too, presenting a temptation to Gar Face, who views him as the ultimate prize. The story of these animals and magical creatures eventually weave together in surprising ways.

The Underneath is aimed at middle-school readers with the back of the book stating for ages 10 and up. I definitely think it would be best suited to this age group. While younger kids might be tempted by the picture of the sad hound dog and cute kittens on the cover, it does cover some challenging themes that they might have difficulty processing. Gar Face is a miserable excuse for a human being, but he didn’t become as mean as he is in a vacuum. There’s a flashback scene where he’s abused by his father, which leads to him running away and ending up in the swamp where he now lives. Untreated injuries from the abuse is what caused his face to become deformed and him to be known by the nickname Gar Face. He’s also implied to be an alcoholic, drinking heavily and frequently due to his unhappiness. Grandmother Moccasin is angry for different reasons, and she allows her bitterness to fester until she doesn’t tell her daughter the truth about something, leading to irrevocable consequences. However, she is redeemed in the end, and I think her earlier actions could be used as an object lesson for kids about the dangers of lying and selfishness. Three characters die, one out of selflessness, one of a broken heart, and one out of greed. Death can be a difficult topic for kids, but I think it can be helpful to process it through the safe lens of a story. The reasons that lead to each character’s death could be used as talking points as well.

The issue that might be the most difficult, though, is the animal abuse and neglect that occurs throughout the story. Gar Face seems to only view animals as commodities or prizes, and even a pet, once it’s outlived its usefulness, is no longer important to him. Poor Ranger has been chained to the house for a long time with an untreated injury, he often isn’t fed properly, and later in the story he’s further abused for daring to defend his only friend. Each of the cats ends up suffering in various ways because of Gar Face’s actions, too. I don’t want to make the story sound too bad or scary, though, because the nature of it allows other characters to step up and show goodness, and it has a positive ending. Most middle-schoolers could probably handle the material. I’d just say know your child’s sensitivity level before allowing them to read it, and that it might best be read with parent or educator guidance. There’s even a helpful reading guide at the back with discussion questions and suggested activities.

I’d have to say that The Underneath didn’t end up being quite what I expected. The cover image and the book blurb make it seem like the story is all about Ranger and the kitties, perhaps something akin to The Incredible Journey, so the whole storyline about Grandmother Moccasin, Night Song, and the other enchanted creature characters was a bit of a surprise. I enjoyed each part of the narrative individually, but at first, I wasn’t entirely sure what they had to do with one another. However, I can say that they do eventually merge in an interesting way. The book was a Newberry Honor Book and a National Book Award finalist, and I can see why. The writing itself is quite beautiful and has a lyrical quality to it that almost made it the equivalent of literary fiction for children. Because of this, the style may not grab some kids, and reluctant readers may find it to be a harder read. Although there is adventure within the story, it’s rather slow-paced, but it still held my attention and probably would appeal to a certain subset of kids who are more literary-minded readers.

I already outlined some of the possible detractors, but there are many important and thought-provoking themes as well that could have a positive impact on kids, too, if properly explored. There’s the concept of what it means to be a family and how some families are those of our choosing rather than biology. Ranger and the cats make a very odd family, but a family they are, and a very compelling one, at that. Their love for one another is sweet, pure, and unmistakable. In fact, the power of love—and hate—and how these emotions can affect lives for good or ill is palpable throughout. There’s also the idea that promises shouldn’t be made lightly, and that once made, one should do everything in their power to follow through with it, even if it’s challenging. There are additional positive themes of determination, selflessness, empathy, kindness, and sharing even if you have little. I think that sometimes it takes seeing the struggle and how bad the world can be to really see the good in it, and for this reason, I think the story could have great value to kids. I would recommend it to middle-schoolers and up, even adults like myself, who would be interested in an accessible story that has deeper meaning and a lovely writing style. show less

A calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained-up hound deep in the backwaters of the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest, and the hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate. They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family. Ranger urges the cat to hide underneath the porch, to raise her kittens there because Gar-Face, the man living inside the house, will surely use them as alligator bait should he find them. But they are safe in the Underneath...as long as they stay in the Underneath.
Kittens, however, are notoriously curious creatures. And one kitten's one moment of curiosity sets off a chain of events that is astonishing, remarkable, and enormous in show more its meaning. For everyone who loves Sounder, Shiloh, and The Yearling, for everyone who loves the haunting beauty of writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Flannery O'Connor, and Carson McCullers, Kathi Appelt spins a harrowing yet keenly sweet tale about the power of love — and its opposite, hate — the fragility of happiness and the importance of making good on your promises. show less

I had been saving this one to read aloud to my girls, and now I'm kind of glad I didn't, as it is very dark, and hard to read at times. This story is told in short little chapters -- poems almost -- alternating between Ranger, an abused, lonely and chained hound dog who takes in a calico cat, and her two kittens and makes a family under the porch; Gar-Face, the hideous, sociopathic man who makes his living trading skins and pelts for food and drink; and mythical, magical creatures steeped in multi-cultural folklore: Grandmother Moccasin, a shape-shifting lamia snake imprisoned in an earthen jar for a thousand years; her companion the Alligator King, who Gar-Face intends to kill using the kittens as bait; Grandmother Moccasin's daughter show more Night-Song, who assumed her human form and ran off with Hawk-Man, and the trees, whose memory is longer than anyone's, and may occasionally call upon their own magic. This book has received many accolades for being beautiful and magical and poetic; I would be interested to know what kids think of it.

Curriculum: this would be a great book to use to talk about the literary device of anthropomorphism. Students could give examples of anthropomorphism in the book, and discuss whether animals and trees can feel as keenly as they do in this book.

Appelt, K. (2008). The underneath. New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers. show less

This will be going down as one of my top reads for the year. Good literature rises above its genre and this is a very fine book that does just that.
Appelt evokes the most enchanting, soulful setting in the Chaddo area of the bayous on the border of Louisana and Texas. Here an abandoned calico cat finds friendship with an old hunting hound underneath a ramshackle shack and gives birth to two fine kittens. They are safe in the Underneath because in the house lives the meanest man that ever walked, who dreams of catching the king of all alligators.
Appelt weaves in a magical, mythical story based on native folklore, and uses the trees to whisper and watch over the inhabitants of the forest as the story works towards the inevitable end. show more Her use of language is magic in itself. show less

Ok, if you're looking for a cute animal story, or if you need straight-forward prose and a plot that moves right along, look elsewhere. If you enjoy beautiful metaphors and poetic rhythms and tragedy and glory and myth, read this book. Whether you're 9 or 99, you can enjoy and be moved by it. It's a little bit like Neil Gaiman, actually.

About the repetition in this that some GR readers complain about - think of the way the chorus in a pop song is repeated, or the theme in a jazz improv. I personally think the book is gorgeous, and worth a re-read.

Destined to be one of my top ten favorite books in 2010, this amazing, stunningly complex 2009 Newbery Honor book and National Book Award finalist simply took my breath away!

A big thanks to Stasia (alcottacre) for recommending this one!

Journey to the dark recesses of the swampy Louisiana/Texas bayou where you find an alligator who is almost as large as the water that holds him, where you hear the hissing of the cottonmouth vipers and the sucking sound of the quick sand as it pulls and twists people and critters to their death, and where, along the deep forest path you see a lonely, mud caked, starving dog chained for years by a evil man who learned at an early age that to love equates to pain and thus it is better to hurt and maim all show more who cross your path.

Enter an abadoned, pregnant calico cat who stumbles upon the dog, and let your heart be warmed as together they provide solace to each other and to twin kittens. Watch as these four lonely animals in crisis bond together in the Underneath space of the raggedy house where tension lurks as each day is a challenge.

Mix the cast of bayou creatures, the dog and cats and one very nasty man and you will discover a tale of amazing magic and mythological proportion.

Five stars! show less