Flies on the Butter

Flies on the Butter, by Denise Hildreth

Yet another $5 promo book. The $5 sticker has not steered me wrong yet, so I am now quite trusting of that little yellow sticker.

This book starts out a little slow. When I got to the second chapter, I wondered if perhaps it would be the first "bad" $5 book. But as I continued to read, I realized that the author is a kindred spirit. It is the type of book I would have written.

In a nutshell, Rose Fletcher is driving from Washington DC, where she is a successful lobbyist, to her hometown in Mullins, South Carolina. As she drives, little things along the way trigger memories of her past. So really, the book is a series of memories telling the story of her life. And it is a normal life. She enjoys her childhood, bad things happen, she tries to escape Hicksville, gets married, is successful in her career, makes mistakes. Nothing extraordinary, and for some reason, that makes the book more exciting. As she drives home, her memories help her make peace with her past.

At the end, the author's note explains that there is a song about childhood memories by Wynonna called Flies on the Butter, and elements of the song were worked into the book. I thought it was very clever and since I did not know the song before I read the book, I of course had to Google the lyrics, only to read over them with delight because everything matched up so perfectly.

I would suggest this book to anyone who grew up cherishing warm lazy summer days, good home-cooked meals, and playing with neighborhood friends. Its really a trip down memory lane.