Vol. 5 No. 3, March 2008
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BOOK REVIEW: Lottery
Patricia Wood • Putnam Adult
A first novel is often a wonderful thing. In many cases, the author has spent years writing, editing and refining the book, so every word, every nuance and plotpoint is fully thought out. And sometimes it’s the best book the author writes.
I hope that isn’t the case with Lottery, because Patricia Wood has produced a work of art that is fully formed, yet only hints of her forthcoming brilliance.
Perry Crandall is a young man with a 76 IQ, which is borderline retarded. But you soon come to realize that, though Perry may be “slow,” he’s wise beyond his years and his mental capacities.
When Perry’s grandmother dies, he’s left at the mercy of his greedy mother, brothers and their equally disturbing wives. They quickly dupe him out of his inheritance, Gran’s house, and dump him on the only friends he has left in the world—Gary, his employer, and Keith, his co-worker.
Then Perry wins $12 million in the Washington State Lottery. The family returns from the cracks in the wall, scheming for ways to separate him from his winnings.
But a funny thing happens along the way. Perry learns he is a great businessman. He turns Gary’s marine supply store into the hottest business in town. He uses his money to help his friends, never acting as a needy giver, and never requiring that they ask for help.
Growing in wisdom, Perry falls for Cherry, the pretty clerk at the convenience store. But she finds Keith more appealing, and Perry is hurt.
A surprise ending that resolves his relationships with Cherry, Keith and his family makes Lottery one of the most heartwarming and inspirational books in recent memory, with truly unforgettable insights and characters. And because it is a first novel, one hopes Wood has only scratched the surface.
