| One of the most persistent themes in southern literature is that of a boy's search for a surrogate father. Reuben Davis's Shim, a novel with unusual power and hidden complexity, belongs to this venerable tradition. Mark Twain, creator of the orphaned Huckleberry Finn, was the first to adopt the genre. In his deepening relationship with the runaway slave Jim, Huck becomes the child in us all who pursues safe adventure under the affectionate regard of an undemanding elder. William Faulkner mined the topic to grand effect as well. Chick Mallison in IntruderintheDust, Bayard Sartoris in TheUnvanquished, Isaac McCaslin in "The Bear," Sarty Snopes in "Barn Burning," and, more tragically, Quentin Compson in TheSoundandtheFury each in a singular way seeks his manhood by hunting for a father, a fatherlike figure, or an exceptional woman whom he can worship and who will guide him into the mysteries of adult life. Disillusioned by the literal or figurative absence of the natural father, each searches for a substitute who will teach and love him. |
| The southern youth in aggrieved pursuit of a caring senior appears in works of more popular fiction as well, including some that have been translated into film, such as Pat Conroy's PrinceofTides and John Grisham's TheClient. In these stories, cinematic and otherwise, common themes appear: violence, sometimes racial outrage, wildwood hardship, and close ties that bind some family members against a hostile world. For some, these fictional elements may have become threadbare; yet such narratives have such special meaning for those who cherish southern culture with its patriarchal traits and love of the outdoors. Reuben Davis's Shim contains all the familiar characteristics. It is as vivid, moving, and distinctive as any of the American classics mentioned above. Moreover, it has the kind of qualities that at once suggest transcription to the screen: a fast-paced plot, dramatic turns, and visual and aural authenticitythe lights and shadows and sounds of the forest setting. |
| Based upon Davis's own background, Shim, like Faulkner's "The Bear," reflects on life in a past both physically and emo- |
|
