| Angles and Angels of Misery |
November 27, 2009
Chris Tusa's Dirty Little Angels is a vicious but genuine rendering of a family steeped in misery and disconnected from reality. Does the mother really think her daughter is just vying for attention when she swallows too many pills? Does the father really think he can save the house through pool house earnings? Does the brother really think he can pummel morality into wayward souls? And does our poor little narrator really want her virginity taken by a boy reminiscent of Al Pacino in Scarface? Through Tusa's rich use of language and setting, we understand that people can exist in such a vortex of miserable misunderstanding and thwarted purpose -- and that makes the anguish and hopelessness of the book so much worse. New Orleans via Jerry Springer is the formula but under Tusa's careful hands, the story is neither ridiculous nor outrageous, but is instead searingly human and ineffably sad.
Hailey, the narrator, is in turns earnest, innocent, and hard. She broke my heart with her misguided efforts at holding the family together, her ill-timed fumbles at bringing her nascent sexuality to life, and her soulful struggles over religion as either a saving grace or a useless ritual. I wanted to shake her parents into taking responsibility for Hailey's welfare and security, as well for the potential of her ex- (and undoubtedly future) convict brother Cyrus. Instead, the parents brood over lost opportunities, bad choices, and rotten luck. Misery wrapped in self-absorption is a bad combo for any parent, but when the parents are also poor, unemployed, and hopeless, life starts to look pretty dim for all concerned. My only hope is that Hailey is both smart enough and resilient enough to mind the advice of family friend Verma, and get out of Dodge -- before the law or dirty angels or misery catches up with her for good.
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