Broken as Things Are: A Novel

By Martha Witt

Book Overview

"A sensitive Southern tale of weirdly imaginative children and hapless adults. Ms. Witt has staked out a territory somewhere between Harper Lee and Flannery O'Connor." -E. L. Doctorow From the day that Morgan Lee is born, her extraordinarily beautiful and withdrawn older brother, Ginx, is obsessed by her. As Aunt Lois recalls: "Ginx thought you belonged to him Morgan Lee. He would sit on our big couch right there in his sailor's suit and hold on to you for dear life . . . He didn't speak normal till he was five, then-bang-one day he's just talking away in complete sentences. But he wouldn't say, 'I.' He said 'we,' meaning you and him."Inhabiting their own parallel world, the two communicate through a secret language and make-believe stories; when Morgan Lee begins to explore friendships beyond their closed circle, however, Ginx becomes increasingly disturbed. In luminous prose, Martha Witt explores the intense and private world inhabited by these siblings and the inevitable and necessary pain of their separation.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080507595X
• ISBN13: 9780805075953
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.6" x 1.1" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Emotionally Powerful

Morgan-Lee is a 14-year old North Carolina girl who is a writer of love letters for fellow students, though she's never needed one herself. Morgan-Lee doesn't fit in. She is growing up in a difficult family and is having a hard time of it. Her older brother, amazingly handsome Ginx, has a form of autism and though he can talk to others on occasion, he prefers to speak in a language of words based on sound and tone that only he and Morgan-Lee can understand. Increasing their exclusive bond are the stories that Morgan-Lee makes up for Ginx. The characters in her imaginary stories sometimes acts out the otherwise hidden sexual tension between the siblings. With a mother who is too self-absorbed to contribute much help to Morgan Lee's growing up, she relies on her aunt Lois whose career in beauty and cosmetic make-overs underlines her overwhelming concern with how everything in life looks. Morgan Lee's younger sister Dana, is painfully aware that her family is different and disassociates herself from them by living with Aunt Lois. Morgan-Lee's father is an educator and only wants quiet in the family. Into this heated setting enters an uninhibited young woman named, Sweety-Boy. Armed with a glib-tongue and a brash manner, Sweety-Boy sells jams door-to-door, barging her way into the homes and lives of the community. Morgan-Lee, along with her sister and brother are soon pulled into Sweety-Boys orbit, which proves to be the catalyst for Morgan-Lee's coming of age, the burgeoning of her sexuality and the violent rift that opens and becomes public between the siblings. As told by Morgan-Lee, this story is deceptively quiet on the surface. The readers feel the tension growing, but until the end, we aren't told the reasons for those stresses. Many scenes open slowly and finish with powerful emotions or they unravel to transform into almost unbearable situations. The birthday party and Morgan-Lee's first day as a jam saleswoman both end with staggering unexpected twists. BROKEN AS THINGS ARE is writer Martha Witt's first novel and I'm thankful I read it. I'm already longing to read her next work.

Youth Remembered

I couldn't put this book down. Anyone who wants to remember the joy of growing up (and its complementary hardships and pain) must get their hands on this book. I left it with a great sense of nostalgia and with a feeling of having learned so much about who I once was.

Fascinating, profound, and heartwarming: a great read

Martha Witt's first novel will soon be lauded throughout the world as a classic. A heart-felt story of youngsters growing up in the American South, Broken As Things Are tells the tale of the extarordinary Morgan-Lee and her oddly withdrawn older brother. Morgan-Lee is the only person who is able to understand and engage Ginx. Sharing a secret language, they escape together into a make-believe world. Unable to articulate his emotions, except through garbled, nosensical words, Ginx becomes increasingly disturbed by his sister's desire for friendships beyond the closed circle of their sibling love. The Summer in which this story takes place leaves Morgan Lee with the choice between her love for her brother and a life without him. Against this tragic, but heartwarming backdrop, Broken As Things Are nonetheless succeeds in producing some beautifully light and moving moments, such as the children's growing friendship with the strange Sweety-Boy and her half brother Jacob. These two fascinating characters offer some truly tender and insightful commentary on the nature of childhood, imagination, and the inevitable and necessary pain of separation. And with Morgan-Lee, we follow her path from childhood to adulthood through her genuine inquisitiveness, and her eagerness to learn and feel. Witt's writing is excellent, as it weaves from one interwoven part of the story to the next. Along the way, we meet a cornucopia of different characters and viewpoints. Each is brought to life through context and vivid descriptions. Above all, Martha Witt's masterpiece is a story of growth and progress, even in the most complicated of experiences, childhood. Thought-provoking and inspiring.

If you love beautiful prose, read this.

Wonderfully strange and original coming-of-age story of a young Southern girl too attached to her autistic brother whose maturity is chronicled in her power with words. The novel soars, but I also loved its hilariously droll tone throughout while the narrator pokes fun at her family,the town's seediness and its "legends". The narrator and the brother relishing the sounds of language to describe the tone of their emotional environs is such an original gift to the reader. It's so refreshing to read a literary, coming-of-age novel that does not rely on self-conscious irony, cultural references or smirking world-weariness and to find an author that has such command of her prose; the prose just shimmers. The book really transports you to a world you could never imagine on your own. Glad I stumbled upon this book.

Poetic language, unforgettable characters

Reading this book is like finding hidden treasure. The relationship between Morgan Lee and Gynx is like no other that I've read, and the language is amazing. I'm so glad I bought the book. It's by far the best book I've read this summer.