A Southern Trainwreck of a Novel

I liked The Prince of Tides enough to want to read more by Conroy but also wasn’t in a hurry to follow up on that since parts of it did seem so, well, crazy.  South of Broad is a more recent novel of Conroy’s and as a result, it may not have been the smartest pick.  The book is incredibly readable, and there are definitely parts where the language just sweeps the reader along.  However, it also showcases the flaws much more, packing just a few too random many instances and occurrences into these characters’ lives.  My main problem, however, was with the character description of the main character Leopold Bloom King vs. his actions, and the dialogue which just seemed fake.  I think I would have been much more willing to accept melodrama if the dialogue had rang true at all.  Full review.