Spit of a Minute

“A relentless Southern classic In the tradition of John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Linda Dickson has written a sweeping epic about the hopelessness of the Southern poor. For her first novel, the ambitious scope of Spit of A Minute is truly breathtaking. Not to mention that the dialect is spot on throughout. (Yes, that is how us Southerners talk). Starting in 1928, Spit of a Minute follows Queenie and her family from the barnyard floor of a dirt farm in Tennessee to Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. From gypsies to Jezebels, mules to monkeys and everything in between, Ms. Dickson crafts a rich slate of Flannery O’Connor-esque characters. You cannot help but find yourself pulling for them all, even the mean, low-down drunks and the whores. Make no mistake, however, Queenie’s is not a sappy coming of age story. Ms. Dickson fearlessly pulls no punches. I cannot wait to see what this original voice comes up with next. “