By Lauren Leigh
Published March 15th, 2014 by Sartoris Literary Group
5 stars - An Intriguing Novel!
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review*
Baby is every adoptive parent’s nightmare—blind, paralyzed from the
waist down, unable to speak, and diagnosed with developmental and intellectual
disabilities. For the first 10 years of her life she is raised outside in a dog
pen by a cruel adoptive father, a Mississippi deputy sheriff who values his
bird dogs more than his daughter.
Retarded Girl Raised in Dog Pen is the story of Baby’s placement in a
Mississippi mental institution for individuals with profound retardation after
the brutal murder of her father and the arrest of her mother, and her desperate
attempt to escape the institution.
Once the mother is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, the
story takes a bizarre twist as mental health professions discover that Baby is
capable of communication, despite being trapped inside a grotesque body that
holds her prisoner.
How much does Baby know? Can she prove her mother’s innocence?
As the mother sits on death row, the clock ticking, a brilliant
psychologist has the shock of her life when she discovers that Baby is not who
she seems. The question is will the psychologist be able to solve the mystery
in time to save the mother’s life?
Similar to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in the manner in which it
reveals the inner workings of a mental institution, it is, in the end, about
the triumph of intellect and passion over indifference and cruelty. It is
written in the tradition of The Sound and the Fury and To Kill a Mockingbird,
two novels that address the complex issue of intellectual disabilities.
Review:
Wow. I have no idea how to even start this review. I know the title will be kind of hard to deal with for some people but I strongly encourage you to look past it. It's kind of like not judging a book by it's cover. The story itself is phenomenal and completely intriguing. I was hooked from the very beginning and the story held my attention the whole time.
The summary says similar to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and I have to agree. I just recently read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and this book shows the inner workings of the facility in a similar manner. It was interesting to be able to read about what was going on with the staff in the facility Baby was at. We don't just get Baby's perspective but we also read the thoughts of some of the nurses and patients. I thought it was very intriguing to learn a few of the characters' stories. Speaking of perspectives, being in Baby's mind was thought provoking. I was reminded of how blessed I am and of how grateful I should be that I can see and speak and move my legs. Baby was a beautiful character and she was an incredibly strong girl. She was born without eyes and vocal chords and doesn't have the use of her legs. She had so many misfortunes but she still kept going. Her mother was a great character as well and took care of Baby in the only way she knew how. You could tell just how much she loved her daughter. She let Baby stay in the dog pen but she also had an abusive husband who was also a Sheriff. The characters were flawed but they were real.
Once again, this story is compelling and gripping! You will not be bored because there is always something happening in the book. There is the mystery of who killed Baby's father and that definitely keeps you reading. At first I was surprised at who the killer was but after awhile I realized that it made perfect sense. I didn't see the clues till the book was over but I liked that about this book. Retarded Girl Raised in Dog Pen is a book that you don't want to miss. Look past the title and give this one a chance because it is incredibly thought provoking. I wasn't disappointed and I hope you aren't either! Check out an excerpt below!
Vanessa
Excerpt
When Thad Vanderbilt arrived at the
county jail, he was eating a hamburger that he’d picked up at the drive-through
window of a fast-food restaurant. He took bites of the burger and sips from a
cup filled with iced tea as he walked into the building and asked to meet with
Rivers in a private conference room.
As she walked in the door, he was in the
process of wadding up the paper wrapping around the burger. He tossed it into a
nearby trash can and then took a sip from the cup, gurgling the last few drops
from the bottom of the cup before discarding it. Left behind was a touch of mayo
that stuck about an inch from the corner of his mouth. Rivers noticed it, but
said nothing, not really caring whether her lawyer looked foolish or not.
Thad stood and extended his hand as she
approached the table and sat in a folding chair. His fingers felt damp from the
soft drink cup, and she wiped her hand against her jumpsuit.
“I’m Thad Vanderbilt,” he said. “I’ve
seen you around town, but I don’t think we’ve ever had the pleasure of
meeting.”
“I’ve seen you in your convertible.”
Thad laughed. “Yes, and it will be paid
for in another three years, just in time to trade it in for a new one.”
Rivers didn’t think that was funny and
she did not respond with a laugh of her own.
Thad looked at a legal pad, reading over
his scribbled notes.
“I see your husband was a deputy.”
Rivers nodded.
“And you have a little girl named Baby.
Is that correct?”
“Yes. Have you seen her?”
“No, I haven’t. I understand she was taken
away and placed at Silverstone Retardation Center.”
“That’s what the sheriff told me.”
“She’ll be well taken care of there.”
“I hope so. She’s not used to
strangers.”
“They are used to people like her.”
“What do you mean, people like her?”
“You know, retarded.”
“Oh.”
“How do you want to plead on this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Guilty or not guilty.”
“Oh.”
Rivers didn’t answer, sort of drifted
away, lost in thought.
“Did you hear me?”
“What?”
“Guilty or not guilty?”
“What’s the difference?”
“If you plead guilty, there is no trial
and the judge decides your sentence. If you plead not guilty, you go to trial
and listen to people say a lot of bad things about you, and then the jury
decides if you are guilty or not guilty, and then, if you are guilty, they pass
sentence.”
“And if the jury decides I am not
guilty?”
“Then they send you home.”
“In that case, who goes to prison?”
“The prosecutor will decide if there is
someone else he wants to prosecute. If there is, then he will go after them and
try to get a conviction.
“Oh.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“Did the sheriff give you any
information about Angus?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Did the sheriff give you any details
about what happened to him?”
“Sure.”
“Would you mind telling me what you
know?”
“No problem.” He looked over his notes.
“OK. They found his body yesterday, buried along the tree line of your
property, about fifty yards from the dog pen.”
“Did he look upset?”
“Excuse me?”
“Did it look like he was upset over
being dead?”
Thad paused again, this time to collect
his thoughts. “Ma’am, when you’re dead I don’t think you necessarily look upset
or not upset.”
“I see.” She lowered her eyes, looking
down at her lap, where her fingers were intertwined in a knot. “Does it say
anything about how he died?”
“Yes, ma’am, it says he was struck in
the chest with an ax.”
“That all?”
“No, it says he was hacked on a little
bit.”
“Do they have the ax?”
“Apparently, it was buried with him.”
Rivers sat quietly for a while. Then she
put her hand on her chest, feeling her thumping heart. “Would you mind seeing
after the burial?”
“That’s not really what I do.”
“Baby and I are the only family he’s
got. If not you, then who?”
“Ma’am, you’ve put me on the spot.”
“I know that.”
Thad doodled on his legal pad as he
struggled with her request. He had moved to Murphy County from Memphis, where
lawyers played by a different set of rules. In Memphis, her request would have
been laughed at, but not in a rural community where everyone knows everyone
else, or if they don’t, they know of them or have heard stories about them.
“That’s not something I usually do,” he
said. “But I’ll make an exception in your case.”
“Thank you.”
“But you still haven’t answered me.”
“About what?”
“About your plea.”
“Can I decide what goes on the
tombstone?”
“I don’t know for sure, but assume that
would not be a problem. You are his wife.”
“Will there be flowers?”
“Yes—if I have to send them myself.”
“That’s nice.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, ma’am, but I need to
know your plea.”
Rivers looked up, as if searching for the
answer on the ceiling. Inexplicably, a serene look appeared on her face. “What
will happen to me if I plead guilty?”
“It is a capital offense to kill a
police officer, so the penalty would be death by injection.”
“I see.”
“Is that what you would like to do?”
“Yes, I believe it is.”
Book Link:
About the
Author:
Lauren Leigh is a mental health professional who has devoted her life
to working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. This is her first
novel.
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