THE BOTTOMS

Lost in the woods near their East Texas home, young Harry Crane and his sister find a woman's mutilated body lashed to a tree. With their father, the town constable, the children try to find out what happened. Don Jellerson tells the story from the point of view of Harry, now very old and living in a nursing home, remembering his childhood in the 1930s. Jellerson's mild Texas accent and slow pace clearly convey the weariness of the elderly man, as well as the vividness of his memory. Even when retelling conversations, Jellerson remains the old man remembering what was said, as though he were reminiscing with a friend. Patiently told, the story becomes even more terrifying, and more poignant. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]