Singing With the Top Down

This reviewer doesn’t usually enjoy novels narrated by pre-teens, but in the past a few have stood out. One is Fannie Flagg's DAISY FAY AND THE MEDICINE MAN, as well as SWAN PLACE by Augusta Trobaugh. The common factor seems to be narration by young pre-teen girls from the south, and for some reason these stories always ring true. SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is yet another novel narrated by a young girl from the south, in this case 13-year old Pauly Mahoney. It is the 1950's, and the reader is introduced to the characters while they are at a carnival. Pauly sets up the story by telling the reader how she feels about her parents, two people whom she thinks are great, but they never seem to notice that they have children. Her parents love each other so much to the point that Pauly is often embarrassed to be seen in public with them.

On this particular day Pauly, her polio-stricken younger brother Buddy, and their parents are at the carnival against Pauly's wishes. Pauly, always the responsible child, has told them that they can't afford to go to the carnival. But her father insists they go, seeing how their mother needs cheering up. While the two kids are running off to the bathroom, their parents board the roller coaster, ending with a tragic accident. The roller coaster has derailed and their parents are among the fatalities.

Her duty now is to take care of Buddy. Their relatives don't seem to know what to do with the children. Pauly and Buddy end up with Aunt Nora, the black sheep of the family who lives in California and makes her living as an actress. She seems to be the least likely to take care of children, but she wants the two of them very much. Before they know it, the three of them are off on a big adventure to California by car, riding in Aunt Nora's Buick Skylark convertible.

As they travel west, they pick up an old man, Tyb, and a stray dog that hangs out with him. They are running from his son, who is trying to keep him in an old folks’ home, sedated. They take him save him from his fate and become a family: Aunt Nora, Tyb, Buddy and Pauly, sharing fun and exciting adventures as they travel to California.

SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is a wonderfully written coming-of-age story with a precocious 13-year old narrator who seems to have had a lot of life experience despite her young age. She's always been the responsible one, always the one to take care of her parents and little Buddy, but as she bonds with Aunt Nora and learns what love and family is all about, she slowly learns to let go and become a child again. It's not easy for Pauly, because she's always been the one responsible for Buddy but she gradually let's go, and watches as Buddy makes friends with Tyb and becomes a happy child, independent of his older sister. She learns to lean on adults instead of always trying to stand on their own. Pauly also comes to terms with her parents’ death, especially the anger she feels towards her mother before she died. It's interesting how Pauly grows up emotionally and through Aunt Nora's stories, she learns about her parents and what they meant to each other, and why they behaved the way they did.

The story in itself takes on a rather fantasy-like feel. While the story is first filled with tragedy with the almost surreal death scene at the carnival, the story takes a turn where it feels like an old-fashioned Disney adventure. One can almost imagine the young Jody Foster in the role of young Pauly, who is always stoic and brave and seems to be the one that wants to save the world. Despite the initial tragedy and death of the parents, SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is a book filled with uplifting themes and a promise of a better life. The title itself connotes a happy feeling, of the desire to escape and to sing at the tops of ones lungs in a celebration of life. SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is highly recommended.

October 2006