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while the devil dances A tense, moving, psychologically acute study of abuse by Robert Ramsey |
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editorial reviews A tense, moving, psychologically acute study of abuse. --Kirkus Discoveries, March 10, 2009. . . . Read full review >>> Ramsey is a terrific writer who deftly delineates his characters’ plights and the small-town social milieu that defines them. He weaves a dramatic counterpoint between Laura’s longings for a tranquil home and her grim reality. . . . Read full review >>> |
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Laura Williams, age 18, meets Jack Farris, 24, on the weekend following her high school graduation, is swept off her feet, and marries him 106 days later. During courtship he has been attentive and gentle, but Laura is shocked when he slaps her on her honeymoon and becomes increasingly abusive. He complains about her friends and family until he gradually drives a wedge between them, refuses to let her work and convinces her to relocate into an older model, isolated mobile home in the countryside outside town. His winning personality makes him extremely likeable to everyone, even Laura's parents, making her circumstances even more difficult. Laura's church teaches that adultery is the only grounds for a Biblical divorce and Jack has not been unfaithful, but Beth, her older sister, constantly urges her to divorce Jack anyway, and start a new life. But can this victim of abuse gather the strength to defy her parents, her church and community and leave Jack for good? |
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