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Jan
05
Book Review: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
2009 at 11am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Set for publication January 8, 2009
Tiffany Baker’s debut novel The Little Giant of Aberdeen County is the story of Truly Plaice, a woman of giant proportions whose constant growth is a source of amusement, confusion, fascination, and frustration for herself and the small-town folk of Aberdeen County in upstate New York. Born in 1953 to a mother who died during childbirth, a father whose intentions are good but who doesn’t know what to do with her, and an older sister who is beautiful and seemingly perfect, Truly is made an outcast by her size and her inability (and, occasionally, her refusal) to fit in. In more ways than one, she just doesn’t fit the mold; that makes life in a small town difficult, to say the least.
Truly knows she is different but doesn’t begin to understand how others perceive her until, on her first day of school, the teacher, Priscilla Sparrow, labels her a “giant.”
To me, it was a word that swirled with extraordinary promises of castle spires and treasure chests. That’s not how the teacher saw it, though.
When Miss Sparrow sends a note home encouraging Truly’s father to take her to a doctor, he refuses, saying, “No one’s making my daughter into a circus freak.” His intentions are good, but he does not realize that her size could be an indicator of underlying medical problems. Ultimately, Truly’s father wants to protect her from the prying eyes and gossipping mouths of Aberdeen County. Truly understands this, noticing that during a bedtime story one night:
He put his hand on my head, wishing he were better at stories, wishing he could make up one now where the giant wasn’t bad, just misunderstood, where the princess was huge—the bigger the better—where beauty on the outside always matched beauty on the inside.
Truly’s father dies before he can give her such a story, and she spends the rest of her life attempting to write it herself, to be the giant who wasn’t bad, just misunderstood, and to create a world in which beauty on the outside matches beauty on the inside.
All anyone ever saw about me, I thought, were the parts that were missing: lovely clothes, and proper manners, and tidy hair.
Truly is always aware that she is different, and she is aware that everyone else is aware as well. Following her father’s death, she is separated from her perfect sister, Serena Jane, who is taken in by Amanda Pickerton, and moved to the falling-down Dyerson farm, where she grows up with and befriends another outcast, the nearly mute Amelia. At school, Truly and Amelia forge a friendship with Marcus Thompson, the smallest, smartest person in the class, and the three become inseparable. As Marcus goes off to fight in Vietnam, Truly begins to understand that her feelings for him go beyond friendship, but, despite his many efforts, she never allows herself to respond.
Around the same time, Serena Jane becomes pregnant by Robert “Bob Bob” Morgan IV, the son of the town doctor, who has been chasing her for years. For four generations, Robert Morgan has been the town doctor, and everyone expects Bob Bob to do the same when he returns from medical school in Buffalo. When their son Bobbie is eight years old, Serena Jane leaves Robert Morgan, and he forces Truly to be his housekeeper and nanny. Suffice it to say, Robert Morgan is not a kind man.
Robert Morgan never liked a thing in his life unless he got to take the first bite out of it, and he never let a thing go, either, until it was chewed all the way down to skin and bone.
He is both repulsed and morbidly fascinated by Truly’s larger-than-life size, and he begs her over and over to let him examine her. Truly resists, not trusting Robert Morgan or modern medicine, and when she stumbles upon Robert’s ancestor Tabitha Morgan’s “shadow book” of spells and potions, she discovers her own power and begins to reach out to ailing members of Aberdeen’s community.
She also begins to notice that Bobbie is different from the other boys: he likes to dress up and wear make up; he is more interested in hanging out with the girls in his class; and, eventually, he brings home a boyfriend. Understanding what it’s like to be different, Truly and Marcus (who returns from the war and now works as Robert Morgan’s gardener) do their best to support him. As Marcus says,
The boy’s just different…It’s hard in a town like this, the size of a cricket wing. Anything the least bit out of the ordinary seems about five times worse than it really is.
The theme of what it means to be different and the importance of acceptance run throughout The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, and Baker uses Truly, Amelia, Marcus, and Bobbie in skillful illustrations of small-town life and the struggle to come to terms with oneself. Aberdeen County, in all its quirkiness, serves as a microcosm for the larger world and reminds us that we are all different and that things—and people—are not always what they seem.
As Truly continues her life with Robert Morgan, she discovers that he has lied to her and kept things from her for years, and he is not the only one. Baker spends a great deal of time exploring deception and betrayal in this book, and she succeeds in giving them thoughtful examination without allowing them to weigh down or overshadow the story. When Truly uses Tabitha’s recipes for a morally questionable purpose, she asks the question “Is it murder or a mercy when one of the needs in life turns out to be death?” and she begins to understand life in a new way.
I enjoyed so much about The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. The story is compelling and believable. Baker’s portrayal of small town life in which “people are either all-forgiving or intolerant as mules” rings true, and she weaves in big, important themes seamlessly. Her choice to give Truly a first-person omniscient narrative voice is unusual and interesting, since it means that Truly talks about things she couldn’t possibly know, but it quickly becomes just another part of this great book that isn’t at all distracting. Baker’s writing is lyrical, and her use of figurative language is wonderfully creative and unique. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County has the charm of Southern fiction mixed with the pragmatism of Yankee thinking, and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. This book was a great way to start off the year. 4.25 out of 5.
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[...] Book Review: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker [...]
Great review. Typically I wouldn’t be interested in the story, but your review makes me want to read it. I’ll have to put on my wishlist to check it out at some point.
Thanks
Robin
This is in my TBR pile, so I’m glad to see you liked it. I love and trust your reviews.
I’m glad you liked this one! Thanks for the review.
Great review – I’m adding the book to my wishlist!
[...] reviewed two books this week: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County and The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life. I’m running a giveaway for The List, so be sure [...]
wonderful review! I am just getting mine ready, and like to read others so my opinion is more cohesive. Most of the quotes you picked for your review are the ones I also have highlighted for mine.
one of the best books I ever read. I did not want it to end.
[...] thoroughly enjoyed The Little Giant of Aberdeen County (my review), and if you did too, then you’ll also enjoy this reading/conversation with the [...]
[...] Baker’s The Little Giant of Aberdeen County (my review) also has good potential. If done well, I think it could be similar to Big Fish in that magical [...]
Great first effort. Can’t wait for her next book. Author was measured and sure of herself and did not fall into first book trap of trying to put too much into volume. Predictable ending felt right. Minor problems with background of stories, i.e. Vietnam authenticity and time frame. Highly recommended.
[...] The Little Giant of Aberdeen County (The Book Lady’s Blog)2. The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life (The Book Lady’s Blog)3. The Little Giant of [...]
[...] 1. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker [...]
[...] 1. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker [...]
[...] The Book Lady’s Blog [...]
[...] The Book Lady’s Blog [...]
[...] 1. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker [...]
Totally enjoyed this book and the review.