Castoffs...
Customer Rating: 
Almost immediately, I became totally immersed in the "used world" of the primary characters, all of whom are part of an antiques emporium in this small Indiana town. We have the owner, Hazel Hunnicutt, whose own history is presented to us in flashbacks; her voice is revealed through descriptions of her life - her parents, who are deceased, and her sister, whose drug abuse has complicated Hazel's life, provide the backdrop for her choices - and now, her employees at the emporium assume the role of family for her.
Claudia, a large woman who is often mistaken for a man, has lived a loveless existence, but then an unexpected blessing arrives in the form of an infant - a new life that she takes responsibility for - and when she adds Rebekah to the mix, she has a family of her own.
Rebekah, abandoned and cast out by her father, a fundamentalist Christian who expects her to abide by his rules and restrictions, accepts the love and support of Claudia - and later Hazel - in order to create an acceptable alternative to the life in which she was born.
These three characters could be metaphors for the "used" goods that they sell in the store - castoff individuals - unwanted, but serving a purpose of their own.
The three women, who support one another, serve as a balm for the ills of the world in which they live.
Ms. Kimmel's The Used World: A Novel draws the reader in. I cared about the fate of the characters and enjoyed the book immensely. In the beginning, I had a little difficulty keeping track of the time and place of events, that seemingly went back and forth continuously; hence the deduction of one star.
