Village Prodigies
Village Prodigies by Rodney Jones, published by Mariner Books in 2017, is a unique exploration of the town of Cold Springs, Alabama, spanning from 1950 to 2015. This edition, comprising 174 pages, presents a narrative that intertwines the lives of six boys as they navigate their upbringing in the rural South, leaving behind the familiarity of home. The book’s language is described as dense and lush, merging the qualities of poetry with the narrative depth of a novel.
Readers will find a multifaceted examination of personal and communal memory, as Jones employs various points of view and innovative forms to delve into the complexities of time and experience. The narrative addresses themes such as family dynamics, the impact of Alzheimer’s, and the interplay between analog and digital storytelling. Through a blend of family lore, war experiences, and cultural references, Village Prodigies invites reflection on the connections between past and present, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in the intricacies of family and relationships.
Official synopsis Publisher
“A novel in language as dense and lush and beautiful as poetry . . . [or] a book of poetry with the vivid characters and the narrative force of a novel? Whatever you care to call it, it’s a remarkable achievement.” — Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls
Village Prodigies imagines the town of Cold Springs, Alabama, from 1950 to 2015 and unfurls its narrative reach as six boys–prodigies and swains–grow up and leave the familiarity of home and the rural South.
Yet all prodigies, all memories, all stories inevitably loop back. Through a multiplicity of points of view and innovative forms, Rodney Jones plays with the contradictions in our experience of time, creating portals through which we travel between moments and characters, from the interior mind to the most exterior speech, from delusions to rational thought. We experience Alzheimer’s and its effect on family, listen to family lore and read family Facebook posts, relive war, and revive half-forgotten folktales and video games. In this deep examination of personal and communal memory, Jones blurs the lines between analog and digital, poetry and prose.
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