by Annie Barrows
Our larger than normal group all enjoyed The Truth According to Us. This novel
contains a number of storytelling tropes: the coming-of-age-tale, historical
fiction, mystery, and a story set in a small town. The story engages you and
you feel like you’re walking the streets of Macedonia, West Virginia.
Willa is a fascinating character because she makes it her
mission to discover the secrets of adulthood. Willa is wise beyond her years
and can read people well. The Macedonia, West Virginia motto of ferocity and
devotion is Willa’s new aspiration. Willa begins her story by telling us, “Everything
began that day” (Barrows, 2015, p. 4). This statement is true; the arrival of
Layla Beck starts a series of events that uncover secrets buried deep in the
Romeyn family’s past. Willa is growing up and realizing her place in the world.
Willa sees things with new eyes, like her father’s business and Cooey’s Red
Apple and his relationship with Layla, and Jottie’s spinsterhood.
One member makes a great statement, “Felix is a
sociopath” and the rest of us had to agree. Felix is also charismatic and
smooth. Those around Felix explain away his shenanigans as fun and not hurting
anybody. Most tend to look the other way, even though the town knows he is a
bootlegger. When Felix tells Jottie to choose between him or Sol we all
realized something bad is going on between them. Many of us wonder how he is so
conniving with Jottie. How does he control her so completely?
Jottie lost years of her life because of Felix’s lies.
Jottie is a favorite for many. Some felt surprise that Jottie does not marry
Sol. This is Jottie’s chance to live her life and enjoy being a married woman.
The others were surprised Jottie became engaged to Sol in the first place. Most
understand why Jottie chose to keep her life of independence. Jottie’s love of
Vause Hamilton is too big to let go and Sol will never fill his place. Even
though Jottie never marries, she lives life as an independent woman running a
house and taking care of her nieces. We all love Jottie’s career later in life
as a writer of ghost librarian tales.
Many of our members like Layla Beck the best because she
grows and changes so much. Before coming to Macedonia, Layla does not have the
opportunity to explore her writing. When Layla first joins the Works Progress
Administration under the Federal Writers’ Project, she cannot understand why
she must work and is overly dramatic about her living conditions are like. As
Layla gets to know people, especially the Romeyn family she begins to enjoy her
assignment. Layla ends up feeling closer to the Romeyns than her own family in
Washington D.C.
Layla’s growth as a character surprises most of us. Surprisingly,
Layla moves beyond being a spoiled, dramatic, rich girl going through the
motions of writing the history of the town. Most did not expect Layla to get to
know the townspeople and enjoy the town’s history. We also did not see Emmett
Romeyn and Layla marrying. However, we are all glad they fell in love and Layla
became part of the Romeyn family.
The twins Mae and Minerva make us all laugh because they
cannot live apart from each other during the week. We all wish we knew more
about them.
The secondary characters are richly drawn and you feel
like Barrows knew these people in real life and incorporate them into her
novel. Mrs. Bucklew’s relationship with Willa is unexpected. We did not expect
Willa to be a bootlegger like her father and wonder how this relationship came
to be.
Having multiple characters tell the story from their
point of view leads to a more well-rounded tale. We see into the minds of
Jottie, Layla, and Willa giving us a wider view of the story. Barrows does a
nice job providing a different perspective and voice for each character. The
mix of prose and letter is an enjoyable touch and adds authenticity to the time
and characters.
The title of this novel is a perfect way to describe the
arc of history. The truth of history is dependent upon the person telling it,
which Layla discovers repeatedly. Many see their families’ history as the only
version. However, other people know more details and the other side of the story,
which Layla is happy to write because it adds to the history of the town.
