Among the Lesser Gods: A Novel

“Ghosts come from bad thoughts.”

Out of pure coincidence, I found myself reading two books that were similar in inspiration and themes, but with quite a different outcome and casts of characters. The Flicker of Old Dreams by Susan Henderson and Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Carts. I enjoyed both, but while Henderson's is depressing and full of malicious people, this one is a source of joy. Yes, there are difficult situations, crimes and loss but there is also hope and warmth and characters that I came to love and care about, Elena being the best of them. A complex young woman with fears and insecurities. Like all of us. The common theme that links the two books is the haunting past and I certainly prefer Catts' take on the subject.

We're in 1978, in a rural town in Colorado. Elena returns to the land to help her and a family that numbers three people. A boy, Kevin, a girl, Sarah, and Paul, their widowed father whose work demands of him to be absent from his household. In the course of the story, secrets come to light, loose ends demand attention and the characters are forced to mature and face their fears and the wounds that are still open.

“My ghosts were different. They weren't made from fear. They were real and they deserved to be. I owed it to them, in fact, to think about them every day, to let them follow me and watch me and take some meager satisfaction in my failures.”

Elena was only a child when her life was traumatized by a tragic accident. She has carried this burden every since and believes that she deserves nothing, that she is incapable to do good. When she decides to take care of Paul's children, she starts flourishing. She is a wonderful character, very realistic and her story is very well-structured. I could definitely understand and relate to her in some extent. She's one of those characters with whom you'd like to share a warm may of coffee and tell them everything's going to be fine.

“We're all misfits.”

The book has a beautiful cast of characters. They're people who have experienced pain and loss and have survived. But instead of becoming bitter and malicious, they're kind and understanding. They form a cocoon around Elena and help her realise her abilities. Tuah, Poppy, Mindy, Leo are characters you'd want for friends and confidantes. Paul was a little difficult to deal with. He struggles to keep a balance but could use a little work on being a better father. Still, he tries and this is, ultimately, the whole point of the story. We need to try and cope against adversity and do our best.

The writing was beautiful, as well. The dialogue could have been a bit more natural, but perhaps it was a faithful depiction of the 70s colloquialisms. The descriptions of Colorado were immensely vivid and I enjoyed the references to the pop culture of the era. There is a Hawaii Five- 0 reference (naturally, I'm talking about the original TV series, not today's remake that should vanish from the face of the Earth). I mean, Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett rules and yes, I am a deeply superficial person. My favourite moments were the ones when Elena and Sarah were reading a book of Ancient Greek myths. She used it to teach them how to deal with people, how to be careful, what to avoid.

The children are at the heart of the story, present in the past and the current events. The mystery was well-written but I'd want to see more. There was much potential there, although I understand that this wasn't the focus of the novel and in any case, the end was very satisfying.

This is a debut and it is a very, very good one. I really enjoy the direction of the rural Contemporary American genre and with writers such as Catts, the future can only be bright and exciting.