Amateau, Gigi (2005). Claiming Georgia Tate. NY: Candlewick. ISBN: 0763623393. 208 pages.
Due to its somewhat controvertial content, this novel has been much discussed; however, when I read Amateau's first offering, I was struck by its sensitivity and lack of sensationalism as well as its deep sense of the South. When 12-year-old Georgia Tate's beloved grandmother suddenly dies, Georgia--who has been raised by both her grandparents in the rural South--is sent to live with her father, a ne'er do well with dubious intentions. Prior to the exchange of custody, Georgia's most recent encounter with her father had been during a brief summer vacation, where she tagged along with her father and his ostentatious but trashy girlfriend and suffered as the target of his leering stare and sometimes wandering hands. Embarrassed to tell her grandparents what happened on the trip, Georgia remains silent as she is sent away from her grandfather's home and paradise. Much of the first part of the novel is devoted to setting the scene and establishing the characters: Granddaddy Tate is a Southern minister who is wise, kind and questioning, Nana Tate is firm, rough around the edges, but fair, and Georgia is probably a little more naive than the average 12-year-old. The rural Mississippi setting is a character itself and is richly and sensually described. When Georgia is sent to her father's Florida home, the absense of description and lack of this luxurious natural scenery is almost as painful for us as it is for Georgia. Of course, Georgia ultimately finds some assistance--albeit in a rather uncommon place and with an unusual savior--and the novel ends hopefully. No mere "issue" or "problem" novel this, Claiming is about belief, innocense and salvation. |
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