ANGEL THIEVES

A
Texas bayou holds memories and secrets, weaving together people and animals
through connected histories.

Buffalo
Bayou takes her place as part of an ensemble cast that spans nearly two
centuries. Sixteen-year-old Cade Curtis is a white boy who works alongside his
father stealing angel statues from cemeteries for an antiques dealer, and Soleil
Broussard is a 16-year-old Creole Christian with a tiny honey bear jar tattooed
on her wrist. The two attend school together in present-day Houston, Texas, but
the story intertwines their connection with stories of slaves and an ocelot in
a narrative that runs away like the rushing of a river. Texas is a gorgeous
backdrop for the story, eliciting haunting imagery that spotlights the natural
beauty of the state. Each character helps piece together a quilt of experiences
that stream from the omnipresent bayou who sees, hears, and protects, and the revelations
of their overlapping connections are well-paced throughout. The novel is less
successful, however, at underscoring why there are so many voices battling for
space in the text. Too-short vignettes that are rather haphazardly forced
together provide glimpses into the lives of the characters but make it
difficult to follow all of the threads. While an author’s note offers historical
background explaining the inspiration for the characters, it does not provide sufficient
cohesion.

Moving
imagery is muddied by disjointed character representation in a novel that feels
overcrowded. (author’s note) (Fiction.
13-15)