In Memory of Junior

by Clyde Edgerton

In the Bales-McCord family there are several old people contemplating their final resting places. Two of them--Glenn and Laura Bales--are in bad shape, and everybody is wondering which one will go first. Join them in Summerlin as they attend to the business of passing on--and passing down. A BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB SELECTION.

Genres: Fiction, Southern, Humor, Adult Fiction, Book Club

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Clyde Edgerton is widely considered one of the premier novelists working in the Southern tradition today, often compared with such masters as Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor.

Although most of his books deal with adult concerns--marriage, aging, birth and death--Edgerton's work is most profoundly about family. In books such as Raney, Walking Across Egypt, The Floatplane Notebooks, and Killer Diller, Edgerton explores the dimensions of family life, using an endearing (if eccentric) cast of characters. "Edgerton's characters," writes Mary Lystad in Twentieth-Century Young Adult Writers, "have more faults than most, but they also have considerable virtues, and they are so likable that you want to invite them over for a cup of coffee, a piece of homemade apple pie, and a nice long chat."

Raised in the small towns of the North Carolina Piedmont, Edgerton draws heavily on the storytelling traditions of the rural south in his novels. Without the distractions of big-city life and the communications revolution of the late twentieth century, many rural Americans stayed in close touch with their relatives, and often shared stories about family members with each other for entertainment.

Among Edgerton’s awards are: Guggenheim Fellowship; Lyndhurst Prize; Honorary Doctorates from UNC-Asheville and St. Andrews Presbyterian College; membership in the Fellowship of Southern Writers; the North Carolina Award for Literature; and five notable book awards from the New York Times.

Reviews

[Perrin Cothran Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one I would read over and over, again and again. What can I say about Clyde Edgerton? He's a genius.

The discord that can happen in a family around the time of a parent's death is universal. It goes hand-in-hand with the complication of personal grief management. Also universal is the competition that comes into play whenever the death involves any possibility of the transfer of wealth.

But in In Memory of Junior, it all takes a humorous spin. The borrowing and moving of tombstones, the failed suicide attempt of an ornery uncle, and the bravado of a teenager who survives a plane crash with cages of rattlesnakes will leave you shaking your head and saying, "Only in the South!"

Edgerton has that way of the best Southern writers . . . that way of telling what is a very sad, touching story of human brokenness, but making you nod and laugh all the way through it. The characters are alive. The plot is so complicated as to be NEARLY convoluted, but still comprehendable. The delicate balance of the relationships create a spider web with a few questions left unanswered at the end of the book . . . as is the case with most great fiction. Pure genius.

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert for anyone dumb enough to read this book:

Hey, you know how authors make every chapter a different character? Yeah, me, too. It has been done so well by so many writers. This, however, was not one of those occasions.

Note to author: don't build up a character as some sort of old wise fun hero type guy and then drop a bomb that he tried to rape the gay out of his sister's lover but was caught seconds before he could and then have the dumbass sister walk in, scold him, and then hug him goodbye. And if you must do it to further your sorry plot, don't just gloss over it like it's nothing. No. Not okay.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clyde Edgerton is a national treasure; he brings to mind Eudora Welty, among others. This short novel is a little gem of southern fiction: pie-baking aunts, good ole' boys, and even a farm-raised college professor, all with a comic/sad combination of ignorance and wisdom.

[Bookreaderljh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a family (or actually several interrelated families) presenting themselves and their story strictly from their point of view. There are a lot of characters (thank goodness for the family tree at the front of the book) but each one has a very unique character and - a lot of the time - a very funny point of view. The story revolves around Glenn and Laura Bales (who are dying), Glenn's sons Faison and Tate and their respective sons, Grove McCord who is also dying and is the black sheep uncle of Faison and Tate through their mother Evelyn (his sister and Glenn's first wife) who abandoned the boys when they were just small, and various neighbors, caretakers and friends on the outer fringes of a family inheritance story that is just so twisted. Grove is hilarious as he plans his own demise and secret burial in the Bales plot but so much goes wrong with his plan that it's hard to keep track. Every character - even the minor ones - have their own stories and interaction with the Bales/McCord family members and hearing them and their take on what is happening not only moves along the plot (such as it is) but also draws a study of small town life in a farming community. The story jumps from past to present and back again as each life is gradually brought forth through memories and events. But as Grove says in this dark humor character study story - "You're history longer than you are fact" but it is your stories (and there are doozies in this book) that make up your life and your relationships. Despite the craziness of most of this book - the family connection is strong and true.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Memory of Junior by Clyde Edgerton (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 1992) (Fiction)
(3900).

This was my first foray into the writing of author Clyde Edgerton of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Reading In Memory of Junior taught me this: Clyde Edgerton and I are members of the same tribe. We may well be distant kin, for the extended Southern family he writes about in this book sounds a lot like my own kinfolk.

This story is told by multiple narrators. Thirty years or so ago, a wife and mother deserted her husband and children. She walked away from the family farm without warning, leaving behind a husband and two small children. Her oldest son was seven years old, and the other child was a baby boy who was still nursing when she left. No one in the family ever heard from her again, or at least no one ever admitted to knowing anything about what happened to her or why she so abruptly left.

It’s a story about family secrets.

The plot involves a crazy old uncle, an urge to fly, and a death watch to see who inherits a family farm.

The clan that Clyde Edgerton has created here sounds authentically Carolinian. The family stories and dialect that they share sound comfortably familiar to this Southern ear.

I very much enjoyed this book. Based on this introduction to the author’s work, I will move Clyde Edgerton’s novels into my regular reading rotation.

I found a HB copy in like-new condition on a bookshelf in my basement at home.

My rating: 7.25/10, finished 12/27/23 (3900).

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not exactly a literary masterpiece but I have not laughed so hard and so often in a very long time. While this is a tale chalked full of what most people would consider taboo subjects and political correctness is not something any of the characters are familiar with. It was quite refreshing in a way to go back to a time when even the author, Clyde Edgerton, wasn't terribly concerned with the opinions of the outside world. The two narrators did a truly phenomenal job of bringing every character to life in a way that each one had a truly unique voice. Whether it was a primary character like Tate and Mrs. Fuller or a character that only played a seemingly insignificant role in their own voice like Junior and Anna the story truly came alike thanks to the talents of Norman Dietz and Sally Darling. In Memory of Junior is likely to stick with me for quite some time as it is a wonderful reminder of the perceptions and preconceived ideas that families pass down from generation to generation. Whether those values and traditions are repeated ad nauseam or a part of family history most would be happy to forget, each shapes a family, a community, and the ripple effect is truly thought-provoking.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about family. But it is about family in the sense of tribalism and not love. Those who have brushed up against the world outside the tribe seem mainly confused and weak (Tate). Those who stay with the tribe are strong in their own loyalty and demands for the loyalty of others. One must fit the tribe's ethos. Membership is defined by blood only. Those who are not of the blood -- wives, second wives, children of second wives -- are always strangers and regarded as bad or to be dismissed and ignored. The one exception is the Junior of the title, for whom there is a desperate battle over a symbol of initiation. I thought whether the book might be satire, as it can be cutting, but I did not sense the universalism of satire as I felt the characters had lives of their own.

I really can't go any further without spoilers. But what I will say is that what kept me reading was the suspense of what ultimately would happen. Also, as with the one other book by Mr. Edgerton that I read, a zany kind of humor permeates. (I didn't enjoy this book near as much as the other which was "Walking Across Egypt."

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, maybe the reviewers quoted on the back of this book who called it “funny” and “hilarious” and “a fine comic rip” just weren’t from around here? Because to me, it was painfully sad and true, a look at a time and a place that is dying off with the grandparents and older of the parents of my generation of Southerners, black and white. “Mama kept right on shelling peas. Mama would have shelled peas through a tornado.” Mr Edgerton coulda been talking about one of my grandmas, easy. I told a friend I remember trying to read this book back shortly after in came out, in the 1990s, and finding it condescending and hard to follow. Well, obviously I just wasn’t old enough/didn’t have enough life experience to appreciate it then. But I do now.

[David Gramley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my fifth Clyde Edgerton book, and while it is good , it is not my favorite. I found the random characters hard to follow, as each new chapter was in a voice of a different character. I was constantly looking back to the family tree to figure out who was who. However, putting that aside, this book has some great stories embedded throughout. The snakes on the plane is so funny. And those random characters, well, they are each unique and memorable, and for me, being from North Carolina, some are frightenly familiar. We each have an Uncle Grove somewhere in our family, and Wilma is like a neighbor each of us knows. On to my sixth Edgerton book when I need to read something southern and funny and a lot about nothing.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My friend made me an advent calendar of books this year, and this was the first book. She picked this one because it involves a broken tombstone and a dispute about where people will be buried, which is somehow the most interesting part of the book for me but also the least important.

There's a whole cast of characters in this Southern novel, and each person takes a turn telling part of the story, and it's fun little game to figure out the ways that each narrator is unreliable in some way. But a lot of those characters are also really unlikeable, and at times, the book was a bit of a slog to get through, despite have lots of short chapters.

It's probably 2.5 stars for me, but I'll round up to be generous.

[Mark Seeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky. That single word about sums it up for me about this Edgerton book. Quirky plot and characters; comical and humorous. Yet, there is a sober element to the story that proves the truth of Grove McCord's saying: `You're history longer than you're fact.'' Not the easiest book to follow, but an unanticipated ending made it worthwhile.

[Frida Dillenbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this quick romp through small town life in the south. I found myself laughing out loud due to Gloria the practical nurse, Bill the crazy eyed grave digger and Jimmy the snake charmer. Worth a read if you grew up in a southern small town.

[Patsy Tindell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "laugh out loud" book featuring odd ball family members who are waiting to find out which one of an old couple will die first because this is to determine which of the step children will inherit the old family farm.

[Mary Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was somewhat of a disappointment. I really only gave it a third star because I listened to it and enjoyed the narrator. Most of the time I like Clyde Edgerton....I just found that there wasn't a single character that I liked or really cared about. Thank goodness for a good narrator!

[Lawanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may not be for everyone but I love this writer and this book. These are not my people, but oh so close.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It's a book of caricatures.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read, but a bit difficult to stay straight on the relationship of the characters. Enjoyed it. Straight up southern!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a Clyde Edgerton book in years so I’m glad I stumbled upon this one.

[Alexis Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - amusing

[Dave98346 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF..

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Clyde Edgerton. He does lovely Southern dialect (it isn't quite Louisiana, but then it's not meant to be) and he is very, very good at bringing out both the intrinsic goodness of his characters and their inability to see another point of view. And quite often that's the center of his novels: a pivotal character beginning to recognize that the Way We've Always Done It isn't necessarily the One Best Way.

In Memory of Junior has those ingredients. And I liked those ingredients. But overall, I have to say, this is not his best work. In Memory of Junior is about a complicated family - a couple who have each been married before, have children by those marriages, and are now dying. Depending on who dies first, one of the stepchildren is going to inherit land worth millions of dollars. The unfolding drama is narrated by everyone from the Fullers (who visit the sick for fun) to the guy who delivers tombstones - ultimately, too many narrators, and a drama with too many subplots. But I truly loved this part, where one of the characters tries to explain to his brother about competing points of view:

"The way something smells is not in this world. It's in our heads, because if it was in the world, you would not have flies landing on shit, because shit would stink to flies too, to everybody, to all living creatures. Why do you think a goddam fly will land on shit instead of a flower? Because a turd smells good to them, that's why."

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Memory of Junior was truly about family dynamics. Each chapter was told from the voice of a different character, so the entire book is much like a conversation or a reminiscing at a family reunion. It does result in well-developed and dimensional characters, although in my opinion zipping from one person's viewpoint to another slows down the story. Still, I don't think this was a story meant to be told in a hurry. Much like you might imagine a storyteller spinning their tales in the south, this book ambles on as it unfolds family drama dating back 50 years.

We begin by learning that some of the family members do not have much life left in them. Once that has been established, we learn what is at stake based on which family member dies first. That is the true root of the family drama - what is at stake and how it came to be that some of the relatives will benefit, and others will suffer, at the hands of fate. Most of what happens relates back to this main plot, but there are many subplots as well, such as why some family members have left and why others have passed on. There are some interesting characters here, and some familiar characters, and by the end you'll probably have trouble choosing a side.

The edition of this book that I am reviewing is the First Ballantine Books Edition: January 1994

[Maurean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inside the pages of In Memory of Junior, we are told the story of the Bales/McCord family of North Carolina, the impending demise of its elders, and the inevitable family business of passing on & passing along...it's all a matter of who dies first.

This humorous look at some serious matters is told from about two dozen perspectives - all written in first-person narratives, no less - but each of Edgerton's characters have such distict voices that the story flows beautifully without any confusion at all (save the unexpected twists in the plot). It gave me the feeling that I was one of the 'townfolk' just listenin' in on the latest local happening. (*Never* "gossiping", mind you).

Appherently, this North Carolina native is known to use this narrative style in several of his nine published novels, including The Floatplane Notebooks and Lunch at the Piccadilly, both of which I plan to add to my reading list.

I was completely absorbed in this tale; though it has a certain southern flavor laced throughout with its colloquial speech and wording, the story it tells of people's idiosycrasies & family ties is universal

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book, I thought, "Great...how many Southern books can there BE that start with someone who has just died (or is about to die) and the large family with many quirky members has to gather as they haven't done for years?" Because in this book there are not one but TWO people on their deathbeds--a husband and wife, and the family land will go to the descendants of whichever one lives the longest. It was kind of a gimmicky idea, and I didn't like that at first.

However, Edgerton is incredibly good at capturing his characters' voices, and I am a total sucker for a novel told in a compelling voice--and there are many characters who tell the story here. They are all Southern but they are all different from each other. And most of them are funny. The only two characters I didn't understand very well were the dying couple, and I would have liked to understand that marriage and their blended family a lot better than I did. But I did end up liking the book and wishing I could write with such a pitch perfect ear for Southern speech.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

It looks like I'm one of the few who's read this book on goodreads who didn't really care for it. It just wasn't funny to me. I laughed out loud once, and I don't even remember where that was. It was a story that nothing much happened, and the only part where it actually got interesting was at the very end in the scene on the plane with the snakes.

Who's to die first, Glenn or Laura? That's what the family is waiting for. To determine which children from which marriage gets their land. The story is told over 10 chapters among 18 family and friends. It was kinda confusing at first, but the way Clyde Edgerton wrote, was far easier of remembering who was who when he kept back tracking and retelling the story from that family/friend's point of view. I was grateful for this way, or else it would had been too difficult to keep track.

Two Hundred and fifteen pages of a whole lot of nothing going on. Waiting to see who dies first, finding out who dies, a slight twist in the plot, to get the obvious conclusion on the second last page. Sigh.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading this, my friend Amy Greene sent me an advance reader's copy of her excellent first novel, "Bloodroot", which will be published by Knopf in January. The two books have very similar settings and are told via sequential reports by characters instead of chapters, but are otherwise completely distinct.

[Mary Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Husband and wife dying, whoever dies first will determine inheritance of family land. The story is set in North Carolina and told by the characters--and characters they are! I laughed out loud at times. Picture a light plane crashing upside down, three people, not hurt but there is a box of rattlesnakes on board that get loose! Very well written, I'll be looking for more of Edgerton's books.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in North Carolina, the legacy and inheritance a family member leaves behind and how it impacts the family. I loved this quote "whatever you leave behind is your history, and it better be good because you're history longer than you're fact"

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

delightfully quirky following bizarre family members relationships and conversations with each other and with deceased family members. very funny description of n old woman eating chocolate bon bons representing people she knows...

[Doug Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clyde Edgerton is one of the most brilliant contemporary writers about the American South. His characters and use of dialogue captures my experience both from my family roots and many years living in the South.