Description
Simons Everson Manigault ("You say it 'Simmons.' I'm a rare one-m Simons.") lives with his mother, a somewhat eccentric college professor (known locally as the Duchess) on an isolated and undeveloped strip of South Carolina coast where they are regarded as displaced gentry by the awed denizens of Edisto. Convinced that her son can be an author of genius, the Duchess has immersed Simons in the literary classics since birth ("Like some kids swat mobiles, I was to thumb pages.") and has given him free rein to gather material in such spots as Marvin's R.O. Sweet Shop and Baby Grand, a funky black nightclub. ("It was an assignment. I'm supposed to write. I'm supposed to get good at it.")
Although possessed of a vocabulary and sophistication way beyond his years, Simons feels the normal adolescent bewilderment about the behavior of adults as he begins to comprehend his unique environment. His very conventional father, the Progenitor, has recently left the family in a dispute over Simons's upbringing and moved to nearby Hilton Head, where he would prefer to see his son raised among the more orthodox surroundings of condominiums, country clubs, and private schools. Simons's realization that he must somehow bridge the gap between his parents-and their different worlds-reminds us that letting go of childhood is often the hardest part of growing up.
ISBN:0030031842
