Bastard Out of Carolina was originally published in 1992 and was revised in 1996 (Marsh). This is a story set in Greenville, South Carolina about a little girl, Ruth Anne Boatwright, who was born a bastard to a very young mother. Ruth is nicknamed "Bone" after being compared to a knucklebone when she was born. Her mother, Anney Boatwright, works as a waitress to make ends meet for her and her daughter.

 

 

Bone never met her biological father but learns to love her mother's first husband, Lyle Parsons. Tragically, Lyle passes away in a car accident, making Bone's perspective on life rather dreary. Anney eventually marries Glen Waddell who quickly becomes a abusive stepfather to Bone. The physical, sexual, and mental abuse that Bone endures shapes her into a hopeless child, yearning for belonging and change.

 

 

This novel is rich with vivid imagery of abuse. Dorothy Allison uses this novel to share her story but to also expose the prevalence of abuse in today's society ("A Question of Class"). The passion Allison exerts in this work can only be truly appreciated after learning about her similar upbringing.

 

 

Bastard Out of Carolina is a very similar story to Allison’s upbringing. Allison’s father died when her and her sister were children so they did not know him, similar to Bone. Like Anney, Dorothy’s mother was a young teen working as a waitress to provide for her daughter. Allison was sexually abused by her stepfather beginning at the age of five. As seen in the novel, Allison’s mother takes her children away from her husband for a few weeks, then returned after he promises to stop. Allison contracts Gonorrhea from her stepfather which leads to her infertility. Allison wrote this novel to share her story, changing certain details slightly but maintaining the powerful message her own story has.