Albert Erskine, 21, is “mountain,” which distinguishes him and his clan (all more or less family) from the “townies” of Gideon. They keep to themselves, and they don’t spill their secrets to anyone. Life, as Albert describes it, is a river of sewage; you have to swim through it the best you can and keep your mouth shut. He lives near the top of North Mountain, which has gorgeous views of the sunrise and sunset almost every day, but the Erskines aren’t a nature-loving, life-affirming clan. They are horrible perverts who abuse themselves and their children in every way. Albert has tried to separate himself from his uncles (who have been making moonshine for years, but are branching into methamphetamines now), his grandparents and mother, but he can’t leave. He doesn’t want to abandon the children, ages 2-15, who can only dodge and hide from the adults to survive.
Tom Evans is a father who lives in town and loves his wife dearly but wonders if she really loves him. He doesn’t understand what’s bothering his son, Bobby, but then who can understand a 15 year old? Bobby’s distant, doesn’t seem to fit in—kind of like his wife actually. Maybe an anniversary trip, a special meal on the day they returned to Gideon as a couple, will spark her interest again. And maybe after a few years, they’ll grow out of their current problems.
When Albert meets Bobby, who is skipping school one afternoon, he notices the way the boy looks at him, as though he were important. He thinks maybe he could become a mentor, show Bobby the ropes, and make a man of him. With that inspiration, their lives and that of the whole town change forever.
Inspired by true events in Nova Scotia, Our Daily Bread is a dark story. With the title and cover art being what they are and several chapters opening with sermon quotations (almost all fictitious), I thought the church would come into the story more than it did, but the silence of any visible church is Davis’ critique. She has given us a novel framed by the idea that those mountain people are all trash, so what can you expect when you hear horrific tales allegedly happening to their children? If they want to live like the devil, let the devil have them. On multiple levels, the characters treat other people as outsiders and suffer for it. The few church-goers in Gideon are only concerned with their own, perceived righteousness. They talk of driving out the devil and do nothing but separate themselves from ugly people.
It’s a moving story. As the climax built, I honestly feared for some of the character’s lives. I can’t say I recommend this one, because while it has a strong pace and doesn’t sound off-key even while playing such a societal dirge, it does describe very nasty things. It’s hard to read about sick, abusive people.