After reading and liking Sean Dietrich’s novel Kinfolk several weeks ago, I decided to try another of his novels, Over Yonder. I immediately became concerned that it was a boiler plate of Kinfolk. I was wrong.
My concern was because many of the main characters have a familiar ring to them. Both books feature men who could be called misfits; both have smart, young teenage girls from what we’d call the “poor side of town;” both have storylines featuring men who served time in prison. And importantly, both are set in Alabama and have memorable openings. The plot of Over Yonder however is sufficiently different to overcome all of that.
In Over Yonder, the first paragraph of the prologue begins with: “The girl was dead before she ever got to the hospital. Melinda could tell she was dead because the EMTs were unloading her slowly. They don’t move slowly when you are alive.”
The main character is Woody Barker. He’s introduced in Chapter 1 as he is being released from prison with heart issues that would likely kill him in the short run. Outside he was known as Reverend Woodrow Barker. His father Amos Barker (known as the Major) picked him up outside the prison gate and takes him to a houseboat named “Ship Happens” where Woody plans to live until his heart gives out.
Elizabeth is Woody’s second wife, actually we should say his second ex-wife. She had continued writing to him while he was incarcerated and is now, by default, sort of his caretaker. But she divorced Woody so she could remarry. They have a young daughter named Rachel.
His first ex-wife, Melinda, had drug and alcohol abuse issues, as a user and a supplier. She moved far away long ago. After her move she had a daughter named Caroline – but she never told Woody they had a daughter. On Melinda’s death bed, she told Caroline about a USB-C flash drive. It will become the focus of the story.
Over Yonder is great, light, reading. With a lot of heart-wrenching and heart-warming subplots.
Recommendation: Yes
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