Summary
There is an Indian reservation by the Mattaponi River, and so three races- white, black and native - are well represented in the area and in Mattaponi Queen. One of [Belle Boggs]' best-drawn characters is an Indian named Skinny, who is the protagonist of "It Won't Be Long" and plays an important role in the book's longest story, "Homecoming." An aging (indeed, dying) alcoholic auto mechanic, Skinny is a disjointed figure: Although he lives on the reservation, he isn't well connected to his Indian roots, his wife has long since left him and he rarely sees his grown children. He likes to watch cooking shows on television and is a self-taught home gourmand. Generous and shaggy (and not at all skinny), he's a guy you come to feel sympathetic toward as you get to know him better.
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Tidewater Blues
Tidewater blues
The end of a Virginia river and its people, in stories by Pittsboro's Belle BoggsMATTAPONI QUEEN: STORIESBY BELLE BOGGSGrey wolf Press; 240 pp.It's not until late in Belle Boggs' debut short story collection, Mattaponi Queen, that we learn a...See the full content of this document
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