King of Nod an epic ghost story
by Scott Fad
What does the past have to do with the future? Just about everything, and there's really no escaping it. In King of Nod by Scott Fad, readers will be immersed into the past, slammed into the present and hoping for a better future.
Sweetpatch Island, South Carolina, is steeped in history. From its earliest days as a Native American picnic spot, to its dark times of slavery and racial clash, right up to its current occupants' fascination with digging into that past and printing it book form, or looking what is dead and gone right in the eye, the past has everything to do with the future. For Boo Taylor, his life is a series of moments of digging at the truth. Finding out that his parents aren't who he thinks they are is the first step to his leaving childhood behind, and that began on the playground at school with a fistfight. Confronting Laylee Colebriar is the next step, and she holds tight to her secrets. As Boo's life progresses readers discover that he is not your usual rural kid. Laylee isn't your typical housekeeper either. Her ancient ways go back for generations. To Boo, she is a substitute mother, and so much more.
Boo bears witness to some horrible things. He pokes his nose out looking for trouble, and finds it. From the old Chaliboque mansion, to old lady Mamie Sturvant's house, wicked things are lurking and Boo tends to stir them up. Every so often a young boy will disappear on the island and rumors fly of a beast who is exacting revenge for old Joker Tribbit and his widow Bathsheba. Tribbit was lynched, stabbed and burned by an angry mob of white men and ever since, the island has been cursed. Folks say that Bathsheba was a Gullah witch and she is out for blood. The people bring blood on themselves too in their red-neck bigoted war of hatred with each other. Churches and schools are burned, people die, and faith in what they believe in is either trampled or exalted. Through it all though, perhaps because of some of it, Boo finds love. Will it be enough to break the curse of Sweetpatch Island? Will anything ever help to put all those ghosts to rest?
Scott Fad has indeed written an epic ghost story. His plot is a wicked, twisted work of art that will have readers looking at it from every angle and seeing something different every time. His characters are rich with life, full of love, torn apart by hate, and tortured by numerous evils, within and without. His style is smooth and haunting, exuding southern grace and hidden truths. With every bit of the puzzle shared there is yet another hiding in plain site, like so many pictures tacked to a wall making it hard to pick out just one image. King of Nod is one of my all time favorites.
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