A review by emleemay
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

4.0

“We've pretended too much in our family, Luke, and hidden far too much. I think we're all going to pay a high price for our inability to face the truth.”

I can see now why [b:The Prince of Tides|16735|The Prince of Tides|Pat Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512744907l/16735._SY75_.jpg|1312477] is so popular. A combination of emotive storytelling, horrific tragedy and witty dialogue makes it almost impossible to put down. Even when the prose veers close to being too purple, too poetic, a sharp funny comment from Tom Wingo pulls it back.

The humour is actually what saves this book from being too much of a lot of things-- maudlin, depressing, gruesome, to name a few. Many awful things happen in these pages as Tom Wingo recounts the events of his childhood in South Carolina. The book begins with his sister's suicide attempt, and the rest of the novel consists of him narrating his upbringing to his sister's therapist, Susan Lowenstein. Tom's way of making flippant remarks in the face of his own pain or discomfort keeps the story relatively upbeat even at the worst times.

The book contains a lot of racism, sexism, n-words and pretty much every 'ism' or 'phobia' you can think of. There is child and spousal abuse and one of the most graphic rape scenes I have ever come across. The whole Callanwolde episode was easily one of the most chilling and disturbing things I have ever read.

[b:The Prince of Tides|16735|The Prince of Tides|Pat Conroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512744907l/16735._SY75_.jpg|1312477] is far more than just trauma and humour, however, and it isn't so easy to explain all the things this book does. It covers multiple generations of a family and their ties, for better or worse, to the beloved island where they were raised. It's about complex familial love and loving someone who hurts you. It also offers one perspective on the history of the twentieth century and the ways in which the Second World War, McCarthyism, the Vietnam War and nuclear programs shaped people's lives.

My mother never quite finished the task of creating herself; she was always a work in progress. She rarely told a story about her childhood that was not a lie and she practiced the study of her own history with the reckless, renegade eye of the fabulist. Never daunted by something as inconvenient as truth, she made her lies an essential part of her children's identities.

Mostly, though, the characters really shine. Not always in good ways, but all members of the Wingo family are certainly memorable. Tolitha was hilarious and provided one of the book's great comic moments. Amos was a gentle and kind contrast to the violent monster that was his son, Henry. Lila was an utterly fascinating woman who I couldn't hate even when she deserved it a bit. And I doubt I'll ever forget the Wingo siblings.

It does get super wordy and overlong at times. I feel like we could have lost Bernard and the coaching chapters from the story and been just fine without him. I did learn a new word-- "bivouacked" --which doesn't happen too often at this stage in my reading career. So that's nice, I think.

I recommend this to those who enjoy tragic family dramas with strong characters. I do not recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to read about violence and sexual assault. Extra warning-- while Tom himself condemns sexism, racism, and the n-word, the book is rife with it. I suppose this was true to the time and place, but I wanted potential readers to be aware of it before making a decision.