Lottery

by Patricia Wood

p.322

This was an engrossing novel and a good debut for Patricia Wood. She did a great job writing from the first person point of view of Perry L. (Lucky) Crandall who is a good guy. His voice is one that is not often heard in novels, but he shows that he and others like him should be heard and respected. He is 32 and lives with his grandmother who raised him with his grandfather who passed away when he was a teen. His grandmother taught him much of his life because she was unhappy with how he was treated in public schools because of his learning disabilities. She always enforced the importance of words, listening, and not trusting his horrifyingly narcisstic and selfish family. Early in the story she passes away and we see him have to deal with the loneliness and his snakelike family members. That family of vipers become more important to evade when he wins several million dollars in the Washington State lottery. It turns out being a good listener and his grandmother's lessons will be key to his fortune. Plus he has the help of his friends and co-workers who have always been much more like family than his mother, brothers, and sisters-in-law.

Kel