:: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 ::

Welcome to Fred. By Brad Whittington
Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2003, 246 pp., $12.99 softcover.

I don't review fiction. I don't like first-person fiction. Wait, this sounds like a rerun of my Flabbergasted review. Sure enough, Welcome to Fred is another enjoyable first-person novel written from a Christian perspective.

The hamlet of Fred, Texas becomes home to Mark Cloud, a 12-year-old preacher's kid who doesn't quite fit in. As he comes of age, we share his joy of discovery and pain of rejection. Along the way, we see his cultural and inherited Christianity slowly dissolving as true faith breaks through his shell.

Welcome to Fred will probably have its the greatest appeal for the middle-aged crowd. As my 16-year-old daughter said, "It was like, from your era. I recognized the Beatles. You'll probably like it because you know those bands and people." She was right. While anyone can enjoy the story, those of us who can identify with Mark's interests and experiences will appreciate the story even more.

The first day of school in a new town is always a challenge, especially when you're diving into a whole new culture. Mark shares part of his first day of middle school in Fred:

"That's Thelma Perkins. Don't pay her no mind." He spat carelessly into the dirt. "I done kissed her last year."

I looked at her mouth, teeth pointed crazily like vandalized headstones in a neglected graveyard.

"Where?" I asked in fascinated horror.

"Behind the lunch room. Twict." He offered the information in such a matter-of-fact tone that I was at a loss as to how to interpret it. Was he bragging? Warning me to stay away from his property? Giving me a hot tip straight from the stable? Or compulsively cleansing his soul of foul deeds committed in a moment of passion via confession to a stranger?

Readers are treated to a cast of characters including a formal-wearing firefighter named Bubba, (in Texas, no less!), Darnell the road racer, The Creature, the inveterate prankster Jolene, and Elder Nelson, to name only a few.

I grew up in a town (Kola, Manitoba) that made Fred look big, and although it's a long drive from Manitoba to Texas, reading Welcome to Fred was certainly a trip careening down memory lane, trying to avoid potholes while keeping control on the treacherous gravel (I have no idea how that metaphor got so mangled).

Getting back to the review, I give Brad Whittington's first novel two thumbs up--I also give him credit for leaving Texas behind and moving to Hawaii. While dusty Texas provides the fodder for creating novels, Hawaii seems like the place to live once you're selling them.

Note: Welcome to Fred recently won the 2004 "First Novel" Christy Award.

To read excerpts and learn more about Welcome to Fred and Brad Whittington, visit the official web site.

:: Randy Brandt :: Comments :: ::