My New Friend "Letourneau's Used Auto Parts" by Carolyn Chute

 

The original hardcover edition of "Letourneau's Used Auto Parts" by Carolyn Chute

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. You might think this is sad, but as Emily Dickinson said, "There is no frigate like a book." Or, as a thirteen-year-old boy in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, might simply say, "Frig it."

In any case, the first new friend I want to write about here on this little piece of the internet that will likely only have an audience in the single digits, is Carolyn Chute's brilliant second novel "Letourneau's Used Auto Parts." Carolyn Chute came to wide public recognition with her first novel, "The Beans of Egypt, Maine," and as she told Sandy Phippen in an interview for Maine Public Television, her subsequent book tour and speaking engagements made her a kind of "specimen," a "trained tiger," if you will. If you are interested in this terrific interview, you can watch it by CLICKING HERE. 

Perhaps instead of treating her like a specimen, more people should have listened to her and read her books closely. Carolyn Chute may be one of the finest writers about rural, white poverty in the last 50 years. Though I don't intend for this to be a political blog per se, I can't help but say that if Democrats want to understand working people and rural poverty, they would do well to read a book like "Letourneau's Used Auto Parts" and take copious notes. 

I have been having a Maine-author theme for my reading of late, since I am a Maine writer myself. Carolyn Chute not only expertly evokes class, but a sense of place as well. Her voice is fiercely all her own, somewhat minimalist, character-driven, and packs a punch. 

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

My new friend "Letourneau's Used Auto Parts" takes place in Egypt, Maine, and centers around Big Lucien Letourneau, who doesn't appear very much in the novel, but has an almost mythological feel about him. We hear about his "heart of gold," his terrible headaches that lead to screaming, and mostly, his many, many women and many, many children. Everyone in this book is somehow attached to Big Lucien and his business. And as more and more people lose their homes, Big Lucien and his heart of gold keeps them in trailers on his property, which is a thorn in the side of the local selectmen who believe it looks trashy. 

Chute, as I mentioned, is a character-driven writer, and the characters jump off the page. I have seen these people. I know them. I live in small town Maine, and I have seen this poverty (and lived it) and the rage and shame and hopelessness that comes from it. My favorite character is Junie, one of Big Lucien's daughters from a previous relationship, though he has never been a father to her directly. We meet Junie at 15, as she tries to get money any way she can (most humorously by telling futures to tourists for a dollar) because she wants to have a sports car some day. 

Ms. Chute gets into the heads and lives of her characters and never judges them. 

SOME QUOTES FROM MY NEW FRIEND

"'In the old days, somebody tried to take your home, you'd put one of these inside their head.' He holds one of the shells toward the light. 'But nowadays...' He sighs, his clear green eye fixed to Severin. 'Nowadays when they come to make you go, you take a shell like this one here...' He rolls it between his fingers. '...and you put it in your own head.'"

Some folks are reacting to a suicide, and many are shocked to hear about it. One deputy is not. The reason he gives for not being shocked still haunts me:

"Kids n' bills. Kids n' bills."

MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

As I have said, I appreciate Chute's unflinching look at poverty. It isn't always easy to take, but it is important. Her minimalist language and rich characters also make for a truly engaging read. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

Not always an easy read. Often hard to take, but that doesn't mean it isn't important to read. Friends aren't always uplifting, but the good ones always leave an impact for the better. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts about "Letourneau's Used Auto Parts" by Carolyn Chute. I will have a new post very soon about a whole new friend!

In the meantime, I recommend getting "Letourneau's Used Auto Parts" at your local library, or ordering it from your favorite independent bookstore.