Dig. by A.S. King
It's been a while since I've finished a book. I started and abandoned several in late summer and fall. I
finished this one. So that says something about it.
Truth be told, I picked up the book because it won a Printz award; I couldn't resist the shiny medal on the front cover. The book tells the story of a family that is, at best, dysfunctional. The title is partly a reference to the origins of the fortune enjoyed by the heads of the family, Marla and Gottfied, the latter of which tricked his family into selling off their potato farm so he could cash in on the property. It is also a reference to the many teenage voices in the novel, each of whom is seeking to learn about their past. It is, I think, a commentary on generational trauma and the difficulties of breaking free from parents' mistakes and mistaken beliefs.
I did finish it. But I can't say I thought it was all that great. Marla and Gottfied are made out to be awful human beings. We learn that they kicked children out of the house when they became pregnant, and refuse to provide financial assistance to their kids despite $10 million in their bank accounts. But the way they interact with others in the present doesn't seem to match these horrors. Their present selves don't seem to match their reported past selves. In addition, the author seems to just lob in the fact that some of the characters are dealing with and, to varying degrees, confronting racism. But this seems like something thrown in to make the story more relevant. In the end, I think the author failed to create a world the reader could truly inhabit. The characters and their lives are a little too obviously made up.
