The Schooling of Claybird Catts
When his beloved father, Michael, dies, Claybird Catts finds solace in the company of his close-knit family — his mysterious and beautiful mother, Myra; his lovable, know-it-all sister, Missy; his newly grown-up brother, Simon; and his devoted grandmother, Cissie — whose warmth and caring prove the only true constants in Clay’s disrupted life. Devastated by his loss, but secure in their love, Claybird feels as though life could almost go on as usual in their small, sleepy, Southern hometown. Until his uncle Gabe comes back.
A stranger to Claybird, Uncle Gabe is a brilliant academic who went north twenty years ago and then all but disappeared. Despite the deep mystery that surrounds him, Gabe’s humor and intellect shine, and he quickly positions himself in the role of the Catts family’s savior. Soon he seems to fit right into the place left vacant by the death of Claybird’s father. Gabe and Claybird become co-conspirators and best friends, until a slip of the tongue unveils the real history of their relationship, a heart-wrenching revelation that turns Claybird’s world upside down.
The Schooling of Claybird Catts offers a rare wisdom about life, about the frail yet unbreakable bonds that form among family, and about the beauty and sorrow of everyday lives. A beguiling story told in the rich, Southern storytelling tradition, in an irresistible voice that sweeps the reader up from the first page and doesn’t let go, this is the kind of novel to read again and again and to treasure forever.
From Publishers Weekly
Owens’s third novel about the Florida Catts family covers much of the same territory as the earlier volumes, but her fans will likely enjoy this affectionate portrait of teenage narrator Clayton “Claybird” Catts. Clayton is 11 when his beloved father, Michael, dies, the first event that intrudes into Clayton’s innocence. He had idealized Michael, but his relationship with his mother, Myra, is chillier; he and his best friend decide that she is a vampire, though the real reason behind her grim pallor is her dependence on a pharmacopoeia of antidepressants that leave her unable to sleep or tan. After Michael’s death, his brother, Gabe, moves in with the Cattses, and eventually marries Clayton’s mother. Clayton and his siblings, Sim and Missy, like Gabe well enough, in spite of the eyebrow-raising arrangement. But two years later, just before he starts high school, Clayton learns a secret about his family that drives him to leave the house and move in with his aunt. Clayton narrates these events retrospectively while describing his first year in high school. He’s dyslexic and his self-esteem is heartbreakingly low (”being the token idiot in a family of child geniuses has always been a burden to me”), but, as his narration reveals, he is imaginative and perceptive. Owens infuses the story with warm humor as she traces Clayton’s gradual, poignant reconciliation to his less-than-perfect family.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Owens revisits the Catts family in this bittersweet companion piece to My Brother Michael (1997) and myra Sims (1999). Like its predecessors, this novel revolves around the impassioned love triangle involving brothers Michael and Gabriel Catts and Michael’s wife, Myra. The two previous works, narrated by Gabe and Myra, recounted their childhoods, Myra’s schizophrenia, their affair, the birth of their love child, and Michael’s death. This time around, the story is told from the point of view of young Claybird Catts. After his father Michael dies, and his self-exiled Uncle Gabe returns to their small Florida town, Clay discovers the harsh truth: he is actually Gabe’s son. As he attempts to reconcile himself to this fact, Clay learns much about his family’s tortured history, the incredible depth of Michael’s compassion, and the redemptive powers of love and forgiveness. The southern-born and-bred Owens laces the poignant narrative with an appealing combination of humor, pathos, and down-home wisdom. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From The Orlando Sentinel
A sumptuous, life-affirming treat.
From The Boston Globe
Thoroughly engaging…Owens has beautifully and convincingly captured the lilting rythyms and cadences of a Southern childhood.
ForeWard Magazine Says
“Owens is a master of this genre, redneck realism…the dialect, humor, and resilience of poor whites too proud to be trash, and the holy-roller faith in family and friends comprise an ingenuous narrative.”
“Janis Owens is one of the finest novelists of our time.” Pat Conroy
“Owens embraces all the contradictions of a Southern childhood.” Sena Jeter Naslund
“Here’s a fresh, at times funny, but always honest new novel for you…poignant yet very charming.” McLean and Eakin Booksellers
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