The Sweet Gum Tree

Alix has always been secure in her family’s love. Her passion is reading. She finds a kindred spirit in Nick Abbott, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. A chance meeting sets them up for a lifetime of intertwining destinies.

As a child of eight Alix wanted to help Nick; the abused son of the town drunk became her constant companion. Through adversity and gossip, a friendship was forged that would last a lifetime.

As a teen Alix grew to love Nick; her feelings of love and contentment morphed into the kind of life consuming passion that only a teenager can feel. Nick had raised himself (with help from Alix’s family) into a serious young man. His father’s abusive and loud behavior was the talk of the small southern town where citizens have long memories and loose tongues. To protect her reputation he decided to hide their relationship. The South is famous for secrets, and Nick is hiding something pernicious. A violent tragedy sends Nick away, perhaps forever.

As a woman Alix loathes Nick with all her might. Abandoned, pregnant and alone, Alix makes a few unwise choices and winds up married and miserable. She has decided to take back her life get a divorce and live behind the airtight wall she has built around her emotions for the last fifteen years. She is not happy, upset or even content; she just exists. That is until Nick returns to their hometown with wrenching reminders of what she has lost.

This story is Southern hospitality, secrets, church socials and family so vividly described you feel as if your vantage point is over Alix’s shoulder. The story is told by Alix as an adult reflecting on past events in her life. We follow her and Nick through a twisting plot worthy of any soap opera. Her close relationship with her mother is sorely tested. I like the fact that Ms. Allred doesn’t just gloss over the incident, and neither does she blow it completely out of proportion. The correct amount of emphasis is given to all situations that arise in the small town in Arkansas. Alix’s relationship with Nick is so very complicated that the reader picks up foreshadows of what is to come (with well placed hints) while the two are still children. The greatest pull to The Sweet Gum Tree I believe, is its wonderfully unique characters. Aunt Darla’s obsessive personality, Aunt Jane’s melancholy (which is explained later in life), the Judge’s fair, honest and accepting nature, the list goes on; each character you meet leaves an impression. Ms. Allred has a powerful gift of description, giving enough detail to place you at the scene, but not over doing it. The Sweet Gum Tree is a flawless tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness. The allegory upon which the whole story is based revolves around the gnarled, ugly exterior of the sweet gum tree which hides a soft and beautiful center. Ms. Allred has proven her talent by writing an emotionally gripping and awe inspiring novel destined to be read again and again.

Reviewed by: Joletta