Book review of Bent Road
Bent Road's setting, Kansas, evokes loneliness and isolation. Celia, Arthur,and three children
drive to Arthur's home in Kansas to escape threats in 1967 riots from racially divided Detroit. They move into a house near his mother and start a new life. Celia and Evie, the youngest, have difficulty accepting the very different lifestyle where the local Catholic church is the only social contact. Reesa, the mother-in-law, is dominating and belittling to Celia. In a memorable scene, Reesa is frying chicken and making dumplings when she is called outside, leaving Celia in charge. Celia turns up the fire under the cast iron skillet simmering with chicken and walks out. When Reesa returns, the kitchen is filled with smoke and dinner is ruined.
The antagonist is Ray, Arthur's sister's husband who beats Ruth until one day when Arthur sees the bruises. He moves Ruth into his house creating the conflict that will eventually bring to light the reason Arthur has not been back to Kansas in twenty years, his sister, Eve's unexplained death. Daniel the eldest son is striving to become the man his father expects him to be, Evie is friendless and dressing in her dead aunt's clothes, Ruth finds out she is pregnant and Elaine the oldest daughter plans to marry. The landscape is achingly depicted with tumbleweeds blowing down Bent Tree road and snow trapping characters inside while Ray threatens Ruth, Evie and Celia.
This novel is Lori Roy's first with a suspenseful Gothic center whose mystery is not solved until the final page.

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