Back Roads
Tawni O'Dell Book Review

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Plot Summary of Back Roads

"Harley Altmyer, at age 18, became legal guardian for his three younger sisters, after his mother was put in prison for the shooting of his father. He began working two jobs to provide for his sisters and to keep up the house payments. Two years later, at age 20, this has been hard enough, but things become stressful at home too, when his sister Amber, who is three years younger, begins to come onto him. He then begins to stay away from home much of the time.

When a neighbor, Callie, the mother of his youngest sister's friend, is nice to him at the grocery store where he works, he begins to fantasize about her, even though she is married. One night he shows up at her house when her husband is out, and she does not resist his advances.

Because Harley cannot relax at home, and because his only friend moved away to go to college, Harley's only relief from the stress in his life is his time with Callie. However, since she is married, he cannot see her very often.

Harley finds it increasingly difficult to cope with his life and responsibilities, and begins a spiral mentally, emotionally, and physically, which will culminate in a murder.
"
Crystal, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Back Roads

Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Sister
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Coping with loss of loved one(s) Yes
Loss of... - parents

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - blue collar
Age: - a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 (a significant amount)
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Forest? Yes
Small town? Yes

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - actual description of hetero sex
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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Tawni O'Dell Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:

Crystal

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Back Roads Tawni O'Dell Book Review

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Tawni O'Dell Book Review