Review of Deceptive Calm
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Elizabeth Cocina
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Review of Deceptive Calm
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]
Follow the life trajectories of Vanessa Condon, Trisha Bibbs, Barry Hale, Tod Von Westerkamp and the inimitable Sister Rosalie in the romance Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper (2022). Readers will first navigate through the turmoil of the late sixties in South Carolina as Vanessa, an African American woman who appears to most observers to be White, along with her best friend Trisha; a blonde, blue-eyed, White daughter of a strict retired Marine Corps sergeant major, lean on one another for life lessons, support and comfort. They both depend on this friendship as they experience class disparities, racial violence, first loves, trauma, misogyny, the unique South Carolina culture and history, and xenophobia. The story spans their high school and university studies, successful careers in broadcast, and their relationships.
The book opens in 1968, as a group of students from a Catholic parochial high school in Charleston, South Carolina board a school bus, amidst the backdrop of Robert Kennedy announcing his bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination and Martin Luther King requesting a permit to lead a protest march in Charleston. South Carolina’s governor has declared martial law. In spite of the national and local tensions, the multi-racial students on the bus are excited to be touring ivy league universities, but are heeding Catholic Father Kelly’s admonition to be alert, cautious and to care for one another. The bus stops at St. Paul’s Orphanage for children of color, to pick up Vanessa Condon, who is beautiful and poised and similarly enthusiastic about the trip, although nervous. Sister Rosalie, the administrator of the orphanage climbs aboard to address the young people. Sister Rosalie is a, “classic Charleston historian” who loves the city’s history and claims her family has been in Charleston for two hundred years. She has a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the city’s history, including principals of the Civil War and their battles. She advises the students who see a “coward in a sheet” to duck and then disembarks.
As the group proceeds through the streets of Charleston, they are attacked by Klu Klux Klan members. Barry Hale helps the student driver Gordy to escape the neighborhood, as the Klan members do everything they can to enter the bus to continue to injure and terrify. Barry’s father, a respected neurosurgeon at the city’s segregated facility, attends to Trisha.
Vanessa and Trisha openly discuss race and class as friends. They also honestly share their experiences with their relationships with men. Vanessa is; in many ways, an innocent, influenced by her life-long relationship with Sister Rosalie, who loves her and is as devoted to her as a mother. Vanessa also takes her Catholic vows solemnly and is sometimes faced with grave decisions in her life which test her faith and her self-confidence.
The friendship between Vanessa and Trisha is inspiring. They are loyal and honest with one another. This is one of the reassuring elements of the novel which buoyed me as a reader, against the backdrop of sometimes grim historical events.
The character of Sister Rosalie is intriguing. She is the embodiment of maternal devotion and security, a beloved anchor for Vanessa. However, the character is prone to stilted informational diatribes regarding the history of Charleston, which interferes with her character role as maternal protector. Other characters sometimes groan at these mini-lectures, and although the information itself is fascinating, the discourse blocks the more natural evolution of the character. She is reduced, at times, to a font for these historical facts, rather than the wise, healing, mother figure.
Deceptive Calm does have content regarding sexual acts which is not appropriate for young readers. It does include profanity, as well as racial slurs, which were certainly used often socially in the early years described by the book, but are now considered deeply hurtful and even taboo. Sensitive readers may find these words jarring or even upsetting.
Once I started the book, I read it in two or three long sessions. I was interested in Trisha and Vanessa, and I watched as they made life-altering decisions. I would rate this book a 3 out of 4. I would recommend this book to those who are believers in women supporting one another, believers in justice, believers in the possibility of healing after significant trauma, and those interested in the professional career paths and experiences of women in the late 1960’s to the late 1980’s.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Follow the life trajectories of Vanessa Condon, Trisha Bibbs, Barry Hale, Tod Von Westerkamp and the inimitable Sister Rosalie in the romance Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper (2022). Readers will first navigate through the turmoil of the late sixties in South Carolina as Vanessa, an African American woman who appears to most observers to be White, along with her best friend Trisha; a blonde, blue-eyed, White daughter of a strict retired Marine Corps sergeant major, lean on one another for life lessons, support and comfort. They both depend on this friendship as they experience class disparities, racial violence, first loves, trauma, misogyny, the unique South Carolina culture and history, and xenophobia. The story spans their high school and university studies, successful careers in broadcast, and their relationships.
The book opens in 1968, as a group of students from a Catholic parochial high school in Charleston, South Carolina board a school bus, amidst the backdrop of Robert Kennedy announcing his bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination and Martin Luther King requesting a permit to lead a protest march in Charleston. South Carolina’s governor has declared martial law. In spite of the national and local tensions, the multi-racial students on the bus are excited to be touring ivy league universities, but are heeding Catholic Father Kelly’s admonition to be alert, cautious and to care for one another. The bus stops at St. Paul’s Orphanage for children of color, to pick up Vanessa Condon, who is beautiful and poised and similarly enthusiastic about the trip, although nervous. Sister Rosalie, the administrator of the orphanage climbs aboard to address the young people. Sister Rosalie is a, “classic Charleston historian” who loves the city’s history and claims her family has been in Charleston for two hundred years. She has a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the city’s history, including principals of the Civil War and their battles. She advises the students who see a “coward in a sheet” to duck and then disembarks.
As the group proceeds through the streets of Charleston, they are attacked by Klu Klux Klan members. Barry Hale helps the student driver Gordy to escape the neighborhood, as the Klan members do everything they can to enter the bus to continue to injure and terrify. Barry’s father, a respected neurosurgeon at the city’s segregated facility, attends to Trisha.
Vanessa and Trisha openly discuss race and class as friends. They also honestly share their experiences with their relationships with men. Vanessa is; in many ways, an innocent, influenced by her life-long relationship with Sister Rosalie, who loves her and is as devoted to her as a mother. Vanessa also takes her Catholic vows solemnly and is sometimes faced with grave decisions in her life which test her faith and her self-confidence.
The friendship between Vanessa and Trisha is inspiring. They are loyal and honest with one another. This is one of the reassuring elements of the novel which buoyed me as a reader, against the backdrop of sometimes grim historical events.
The character of Sister Rosalie is intriguing. She is the embodiment of maternal devotion and security, a beloved anchor for Vanessa. However, the character is prone to stilted informational diatribes regarding the history of Charleston, which interferes with her character role as maternal protector. Other characters sometimes groan at these mini-lectures, and although the information itself is fascinating, the discourse blocks the more natural evolution of the character. She is reduced, at times, to a font for these historical facts, rather than the wise, healing, mother figure.
Deceptive Calm does have content regarding sexual acts which is not appropriate for young readers. It does include profanity, as well as racial slurs, which were certainly used often socially in the early years described by the book, but are now considered deeply hurtful and even taboo. Sensitive readers may find these words jarring or even upsetting.
Once I started the book, I read it in two or three long sessions. I was interested in Trisha and Vanessa, and I watched as they made life-altering decisions. I would rate this book a 3 out of 4. I would recommend this book to those who are believers in women supporting one another, believers in justice, believers in the possibility of healing after significant trauma, and those interested in the professional career paths and experiences of women in the late 1960’s to the late 1980’s.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: High Clowder Cats by Ruby Knight
