The Wellbaby, a novel by Zack Grenville
This book, only available on Kindle on Amazon, answers the philosophical question, "What happens to ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances once their fifteen minutes of fame are over?"
In this case, the protagonist is Amanda Prahl, who captured the nation's attention when, as a ten month old baby, she fell down a well at an oil refinery in the small town of Iron Lake, Oklahoma. Her rescue, by a laborer and volunteer fireman, becomes the 'feel good' story of 1971, and is quickly labelled "The Wellbaby Miracle" before it as just as quickly forgotten.
The novel begins 17 years after this event. It is Amanda's 18th birthday, and she is getting ready to claim the proceeds of a Trust fund established by donations from Americans after the original Wellbaby event. Her life has been anything but a miracle since that time, and she is ready to collect her money and leave town forever. Without getting into details, it's safe to say she is in for a rude awakening.
The Wellbaby chronicles the lives of Amanda, her rescuer, Floyd Smoll, and other members of Iron Lake over a ten-month period. This isn't a book of huge plot points. Instead, it's a slice of life story that very accurately depicts the struggles of ordinary people living in small town against the economic, racial, and political forces that hinder their pursuit of happiness.
Grenville spends a great deal of time depicting the geography, history and social and economic dynamics of Iron Lake, revealing the back stories of the main characters, through dialogue, memories, and exposition. This sometimes slows down the pace a bit, but I understand the rationale.
This may create the impression that The Wellbaby is excessively serious and overladen with exposition, but it really isn't. Even though there are many dramatic and violent scenes, at its heart it's a comic novel, and many of the scenes--particularly those involving Amanda--are hilarious.
Indeed, Amanda is great heroine, in many ways a female Huck Finn, except that she doesn't get to travel anywhere. She's tough, independent, wise-cracking, vulgar. She drinks, smokes, sleeps around and makes terrible decisions, and is well aware of her flaws. Even though she's economically poor and powerless, she puts up with no crap from the powerful men who try to control her, and is fiercely protective of her friends in the face of oppression.
Grenville writes in a simple, straightforward and vernacular manner. The book's heavy use of swears and its occasional graphically explicit sex scenes make it inappropriate for children or prudes. But for people who like a good yarn, The Wellbaby delivers.
