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Just as John Irving excels at portraits of quirky New Englanders, Fannie Flagg has cornered the market on zany midwestern folks. Resurrecting the lovable, laughable characters from her previous novel WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL, Flagg's latest effort STANDING IN THE RAINBOW is combination comic genius and tribute to the past.
The town itself --- Elmwood Springs, Missouri --- is the leading character here, but it's the supporting roles that drive the story. From 1946 to 2000, the town is the quaint setting for the everyday life of radio personality Neighbor Dorothy Smith and her family.
There's Mother Smith, whose organ music accompanies all of Dorothy's shows; her husband Doc, the town pharmacist, who knows all about what ails the residents of Elmwood Springs; teenager Anna, hormones-a-raging and embarrassment prone; and delightful Bobby, whose antics are fodder for his mother's show. The Smith family IS heartland America ---- they are Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows Best all rolled up into one.
Beautician Tot Whooten, whose dubious skills are legendary, introduces the book and recommends "it without any qualms whatsoever." She's not heard from much as the story evolves, but her moments on the page are memorable for both their humor and their universal elements of tragedy. Betty Raye is the singer who could not sing. Hamm Sparks, loved by two women, is a charmer and a bornpolitician. Norma and Mackey Warren, town staples, care for their 98-year-old aunt. Flagg's characters are all-too-human.rich, warm, funny, everyday folk. Often the characters appear too briefly, and we want to hear more about them, but I'm grateful for the brief introduction we did get.
But back to the leading character --- the town. It's evolution is something to watch. Post World War II, it is a spot on the map full of optimism and hope, a town reminiscent of all the small towns in America that boasted a rocking chair by a fireplace in every home. Everyday drama --- like who won the pie contest at the local fair or who got a new dog --- was the big news in the beauty salons and pharmacies across the country. People were settling back into the comfort they'd known before the war, despite the horrific losses suffered by many a family, and they were focusing on the good at hand, the small things to be grateful for, the matters of personal (not national) import.
In Rainbow, the town changes, at pace with sister hamlets, and yet something of its charm always remains. As an example, in the '70s, Neighbor Dorothy's show is still on the air featuring bits such as "The Superior Way to Crack Hickory Nuts," while other stations are "blaring rock and roll." Strip malls and uber-stores impose upon the town, but never truly overtake it.
As Flagg shows us a changing (and often threatening) America, she reminds us that those elements of an earlier life that were the backbone of existence remain so --- love and family.
The friendly beautician whose letter of introduction endorses Rainbow at the outset of the book writes, "I like a book with a beginning, a middle and an end, and hopefully a plot and a few laughs in between." Simple demands for a simple town. And Flagg delivers on all counts, and then some.
--- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara
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