Flutie

Thirteen-year-old Flutie lives on the edge of an enormous quiet that she wants to transcend. Her family's life in Western Oklahoma, her father's job repairing old cars and tractors, her brother's betrayal, and her mother's indifference are all parts of a story Flutie wants to tell if she can just find the words. In a library book, Flutie reads the myth of Philomela, whose tongue was cut out by her sister's husband so she cannot tell that he raped her. As Flutie faces the poverty of the the land and the turmoil of her family, she feels she is also without a tongue. She is not just afraid to speak, she is afraid of being. She especially fears her own imagination which produces visions of deer and a spirit woman that she doesn't understand. For a time, Flutie loses herself in drinking and drugs and a friendship that turns oppressive. But through her inner resources and the influence of a kind neighbor, she claims her own voice.

Flutie lives on the edge of an enormous quiet that she wants to transcend. Her family's life on a dirt road in Western Oklahoma, her father's job repairing old cars and tractors belonging to impoverished hay farmers, her brother's betrayal, and her mother's indifference are all parts of a story Flutie wants to tell if she can find the words. In a library book, Flutie reads the myth of Philomela, whose tongue was cut out by her sister's husband so she cannot tell that he raped her. As Flutie faces the poverty of the land and the turmoil of her family, she feels she is also without a tongue. She is not just afraid to speak, she is afraid of being. She especially fears her imagination, which produces visions of deer and spirit women. For a time, Flutie loses herself in drinking and drugs and a friendship that becomes oppressive. But through the influence of a kind neighbor and her own resolve she ends up doing what once seemed impossible - she finds her voice as she overcomes her shyness and fears.

Library Journal

In Glancy's third novel (following Pushing the Bear, LJ 7/96), we meet Flutie Moses, a Native American girl growing up in Western Oklahoma who, in a reflection of the frustration around her, is so shy that she cannot speak. Her father and her brother, Franklin, operate a dead-end business. Both Franklin and their mother spend time in jail. In her adolescent years, Flutie turns to drugs and alcohol to escape both her family's turmoil and poverty and her visions of deer and spirit women. Through a library book, Flutie finds strength from the tale of Philomela, whose tongue is cut out by her sister's husband so that she cannot tell he raped her. Flutie eventually gains control of the power of speech and of her own life, graduating from high school and going on to college. Glancy's conservative prose spins a story of great emotional honesty and power. Highly recommended for all collections.Carolyn Ellis Gonzalez, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio Lib.

Diane Glancy is the author of many novels, essays and books of poetry. She has won the North American Indian Prose Award and the Capricorn Prize for poetry. Part Cherokee, Glancy teaches Native American literature and creative writing at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.