Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides, is a love story, but it is not a love story that leaves the reader feeling a "warm chocolate and wine" coziness at the happy ending.  Nothing could be further from the outcome of the characters of this novel.  Narrated by Tom Wingo, a "normal" southern gentleman, we are led slowly through the twisted, painful lives of the three Wingo children.  Raised by an abusive father and a devious, self-absorbed mother, the three Wingos spiral toward their damaged adult lives with little to protect them from their upbringing.  Tom reveals their traumatic lives through alternating scenes that flashback to childhood memories and his sessions with his sister, Savannah's, psychiatrist Dr. Lowenstein.  Readers will be horrified by the grisly rape of Tom, Savannah and their mother by escaped convicts and by the senseless shooting of their brother, Luke, after his pointless attempt to stand up against the government take over of their island home and town.  It is Tom's decision to reveal the "secrets" that have been buried for so long that finally allows him some healing.  It is also this revelation that bonds him to Lowenstein and opens the door to true love and  their affair.  But there is no typical happy ending for this story.  Tom decides he cannot stay with Lowenstein but that he must return to his wife and children in order to create a new narrative for the Wingo family.  He chooses to stay true to his southern roots and the values that he so strongly believes in.  In the end their is some healing for these broken people.  Given all the drama of the storyline, it is amazing that in reality Conroy's writing style is the true star of this book.  He adds so much detail that the reader can virtually smell the salty low-country marshes; we can feel the love/hate relationships held by mother and son; we can understand Tom's need to forego his love for Lowenstein and return to his family.  This was a beautifully written book that sweeps you along in it poetic prose and makes you long for more.