BLOODROOT BY AMY GREENE

This is a story that starts with three granny women, Myrtle, Della and Ruth, of Chickweed Holler in Southern Appalachia.  Each had a special talent sought out by all the people on the mountain.  Myrtle was a water witch being called all over the mountain with her dowsing rod.  Della mixed up cures.  Ruth's special talent was to send her spirit out of her body. 

Lou Ann, the Grannies' cousin, also had special talents but the people of the mountain only sought her out when they were ashamed and embarrassed.  "...handing down love potions and charms to women desperate to bewitch a man, to have a child or lose one, to be granted long life or for someone else to die."  Lou Ann puts a curse on the Grannies when Grandfather leaves them the best plot of land.  She tells the curse will run in their family until there is a baby born  in their line with "haint blue eyes."  Haint blue being the color that wards off evil spirits. 

And so goes the story of Byrdie, her granddaughter Myra and Myra's children Laura and John.  All of them know the story of the curse passed down through the family and all of them have to decide what to do with that darn curse.   

Byrdie:  "Even though I lost all five of my children, I don't believe in curses.  But I was still glad all the same, the first time I seen Myra and she opened up them big haint blue eyes to look at me."

Laura:  "But later that night I laid there looking at the wall wondering if he was right.  I started thinking maybe there's times when you have to kill somebody."

John:  "But I still didn't know whether I wanted to forget who I was or go looking for the man I came from." 

This story is essentially a story about the spirituality of the mountain people.  These people know that to believe in good spirits is to acknowledge that there are also evil spirits.  Not one wants to believe in this curse but the bad things that happen keeps the curse fresh in their minds.

And then, finally, the truth is revealed:  "It's not forgetting that heals.  It's remembering."  

To finish the story, has been a little like coming down off the mountain after a long and stirring visit with old friends.  It is a story that will rumble in my mind for a while. 

The story is told in four parts:  Byrdie and Douglas Cotter; John Odom and Laura Odom Blevins; Myra Odom and then an epilogue by John Odom.  If I had to change one thing about the story it would be the first part where the story is told by two different generations.  It was a little bit of a confusing start.  By pages 55 - 70 the story straightens out and the reading is phenomonal after this point. 

This book only misses a 5 star rating because of the confusion I felt in the beginning of the story.