"Paris Trout" by Pete Dexter
Paris Trout was published in 1988 and won a National Book Award that year. I'm not sure how I came upon this book, possibly a reference in a recent article. It’s a quick read, and I definitely recommend.
This novel takes place in Cotton Point, Georgia, just after the Korean War, and just prior to the Civil Rights movement gaining momentum. Jim Crow was very much still the mores and culture in the South. There are actually several main characters, but the primary protagonist is the title character, Paris Trout. The story centers around the killing of an 11-year old black child. Trout is an angry, troubled soul, but is also a prominent member of the local community, a town and society where the Antebellum South still exists in the hearts and minds of many of the white residents. The other main characters include several lawyers and Trout's estranged wife.
The main themes in Paris Trout include racism, morality, small town culture, and corruption. Racism is portrayed as a poison and disease that infects individuals, and as a system supported and enabled by complacency and turning the blind eye. The sins of Cotton Point, Georgia are not only those of the title character.
The issues raised in Paris Trout resonate today. We don't have to look far. This morning’ news (March 15, 2024) included coverage of a racist incident in Southwick, MA involving (6) teenagers. Yesterday’s paper reported that the former School Superintendent in Wayland has initiated a lawsuit citing racial discrimination. If the charges are accurate, the actions of specific elected officials are both chilling and abhorrent. When the racist attitudes of a candidate for the US Presidency are enabled, and, in many ways encouraged by supporters, it’s not a leap to make the connections. When the candidate continues to use phrases like "not people' and words like "animals", his brand of racism persists and is enabled by his backers.
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