rabbit factory, The

Southern Living Selects

The Rabbit Factory

BY LARRY BROWN (THE FREE PRESS, $25)

People sometimes lead similar, even parallel, lives without knowing itthat's one premise of this novel. A rich wife in Memphis, for instance, doesn't realize that her life of sorrow and drunkenness mirrors that of a young prostitute in the same city.

In his ninth book, Mississippi author Larry Brown spins an interesting tale, deliberately linking references about Southern traditions and concepts to an intricate web of racy relationships and surprise murders.

Unfulfilled love and loneliness resonate in each of the characters, who both succeed and falter in their daily lives. So many events occur in this book, it's difficult to pinpoint a central climax. But The Rabbit Factory does authoritatively explore one hard question that brings closure yet raises doubts as well: Do any of our lives really differ from one another's? ALLISON BARNES

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Oct 2003
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