Greg Sarris" Grand Avenue is a collection of stories that explores the roots of the Toms, family and the commonalities that exist between its members. The structure of the family is found within its deep roots. I was a little surprised at the way Sarris portrayed his characters as problematic and filled with "poisons." From the very first story, we learn of the lying and deception that seems to exist with many of the family members. In "The Magic Pony," Faye lies to steal her cousin's boyfriend into marrying her. She tells him that her cousin Anna is cursed. .
I was intrigued by the strange episodes that were present in "The Secret Letters." The very fact that Steven had a son with his half-sister Pauline without knowing about it seemed outrageous. What made it even worse was that he listened to his father, who kept Pauline as a secret from Steven, and left her and his son. Steven is actually one of the few characters who rid himself of dark feelings by being able to confront his inner feelings by rekindling a relationship with his son. .
I felt like many of the characters we are introduced to seem to possess some degree of self-hatred. The stories themselves were entertaining and somehow Sarris was able to incorporate a sense of humor in them. All of the characters seemed to want to live happy lives. The problem that I found was that they used lies, and secrecy to try and accomplish their goal. They instead did nothing but make their lives more complicated and unhappy. .
