Beetlecreek Author:William Demby Explosive forces at work beneath the surface of lonely people is the powerful theme of William Denby's unique American novel. An adolescent Negro boy encountrs a lonely white recluse on the fringe of life. It is Beetlecreek, West Virginia, where Black and White inhumanly coexist. The boy Johnny's relatives are caught in their own dreams in a pla... more »ce that allows no fulfillment, and Johnny's white friend, the recluse -- his colorful carny life a thing of the past -- seeks self-renewal.
The town, its earthy folk, and unspoken fears influence the boy and he attempts to discover the secrets of life which at fourteen torment him. Deadly secrets, borne quietly, threaten to mature into passionless brulaity. Once discovered, the boy repays the town in an act as meaningless as the spirit which engendered it.