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The Marrowbone Marble Company isnot merely another depiction of a man aspiring to create his own utopia in themidst of post-World War II America. This sophomore release by Glenn Taylor is aharrowing and honest look at issues of race and class as told through thesocially astute acumen of Loyal Ledford. Themes of oppression and hopeintermingle throughout the pages of this satisfying and substantive portrayalof a conventional West Virginia man whose return from the war impels him tolaunch a marble-manufacturing company with his part-Indian cousins, theBonecutter brothersa decision that puts Ledford directly in the path of manyof the historical events of the tumultuous civil rights era. Told in aperceptive narrative voice that laments man’s treatment of his neighbor,contemplates why America places excessive emphasis on wealth and individualpower and ruminates on the best defense in the face of injustice, this fluidstory is soulful, complex and filled with struggle and loss, righteousness andredemption in the rough and tumble world of West Virginia.
Taylor, who earned a MFA from Southwest Texas State University, is the authorof The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart,a finalist for the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award and the Barnes andNoble Fall 2008 Discover pick. He currently teaches English and fictionwriting at Harper College outside Chicago,where he lives with his wife and two sons. Taylor will appear at Boswell Books on June8, Next Chapter Bookshop on June 9, and Books and Co. in Oconomowoc on June 10to discuss The Marrowbone Marble Company.
