Sketcher

Sketcher tells the story of the Beaumont family dragged out to reside in the Louisiana swamps on the drunken whim of their father who believes one day the expansion of New Orleans into the wetlands will make their property worth a fortune.

The joy of this novel comes from the exceptionally strong and eloquent voice of the narrator, Skid, the youngest of the four Beaumont sons. His is a charming, humorous, sassy and sometimes wise tale telling of life growing up in the bayou. Some of the language is exquisite as in:

'I'd look at the edges of the sky change from blue to blush and listen to the critters and wonder why God spent so much time decoratin' a day that was dyin'.'

While we encounter the usual adolescent angst of a youngest child trying to find his place in the world, it is Skid's fascination with the supposed magic powers of his older brother Frico - the sketcher of the title -  that adds Cajun spice and a touch of magical realism to this story.

Skid is convinced Frico has the power to influence people and events merely by drawing what he wants into being. By hoping to bend Frico to his will, Skid believes all the problems of the Beaumont family can eventually be solved and they can move from  the swamps for good.  It is this tension between whether Frico's powers are real or imagined that keeps the reader interested right to the very end.

With such a strong voice for the narrator, Watson-Grant is not always successful at filling out some of his other characters, but otherwise this is a rich, entertaining, beautifully-written and eminently readable debut novel