Eight-year-old "Scary Carrie" Parker and her six-year-old
sister Emma have more than a tough life in Toast, NC --
it's damn near impossible to survive. After the tragic
death of their father, Carrie's mother goes into a mourning
period that lasts several months. Dishes go unwashed, the
pantry dwindles in supply and the two little heroines are
forced to raise themselves as best they can, even if it
means eating dog food stolen from the neighbor's house.
Soon enough, the mother remarries an evil man, the vile
Richard. The story wanders through an alcoholic blur,
spiked with moments of abusive terror as Richard infects
this frail family with his redneck, backwater brand of
cruelty. As the two girls struggle to get through school,
stay out of their parents' way and manage to feed their
growling bellies, the story wanders into darker and darker
territory.
Not for the faint of heart, ME & EMMA covers the gamut of
alcoholism, child abuse, rape and murder. Although the plot
plodded along, I remained interested with the hope that the
two little girls would either run away and be adopted by a
kind, loving family, or die, just so that the pain of their
brutal lives would end. The twist ending was rushed, but
enough of a surprise to make me think, "Did I read what I
think I just read?"
In many ways, Carrie Parker is like any other 8-year-old
- playing make-believe, dreading school, dreaming of
faraway places. But even her imaginative mind can't shut
out the realities of her impoverished North Carolina home
or help her protect her younger sister, Emma.
By turns achingly naïve and utterly pragmatic, Carrie has
been shaped by the loss of her beloved daddy, and mired by
a drunken stepfather and emotionally absent mother.
Charting an astonishing course of survival for herself and
Emma, she hopes to transform their life into one more
closely resembling the storybooks she treasures.
But after the sisters' plan to run away from home unravels,
their world takes a shocking turn - and one shattering
moment ultimately reveals a truth that leaves everyone
reeling.
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