Back Roads

The novel travels back in time a few months. Harley, 19, tells his therapist, Betty, about a letter he received from his friend Skip, who left to attend college without saying goodbye to him. In the letter, he invites Harley to come visit him. Betty encourages him to go. Harley refuses because he’s concerned about what would happen to his little sisters. Harley has custody of 16-year-old Amber, 12-year-old Misty, and six-year-old Jody because his mother, Bonnie, is in prison for murdering their father. He also works two jobs to keep the family afloat. Betty says that Amber has told her she is helping out more, but Harley doesn’t see it that way. Betty asks if there is anyone else who could watch the girls while Harley goes to visit Skip. He says no, they aren’t friendly with the neighbors and most of their family has disowned them since their dad’s death. She asks about their uncle Mike, their dad’s brother, and Harley admits that he has visited, bringing him beer. Betty warns Harley that alcohol won’t make things better, and if the social worker finds beer at the house, she will remove the girls. Harley has sexual thoughts about Betty, noticing her clothes, and he leaves the therapy session early. On the way home, he stops at a local Chinese restaurant called Yee’s to pick up an egg roll for Misty. As he drives home, Harley reflects on his father’s abuse toward him and Amber and recalls how close his father was to Misty because she was the only one of the children who was good at hunting.

The Altmyers have a house on Fairman Road. The locals call it Potshot Road because deer gather there, and hunters often take potshots in hopes of hitting one. Harley hits a pothole, and the egg roll bag falls onto the floor, where a pile of trash has gathered. Among the trash is a picture Harley found from the day of his parents’ wedding. Harley doesn’t like to look at the photograph because it reminds him that his parents only married because his mother was pregnant with him. Harley pulls into the yard and feels guilty for the three dogs he gave away because he couldn’t afford to feed them. He kept one, a shepherd mutt named Elvis.

Misty greets Harley in the doorway. She wears a cat collar on her wrist that belonged to a kitten their father gave her for her tenth birthday. The kitten was shot in the woods only a few months later, and Misty has worn the collar since. Harley notices the pipe sticking out of the ground that once held a satellite dish. He had to get rid of that, too, and worries now that Jody will hurt herself on the pipe. In the kitchen, Harley notes that dinner has been made, but only enough for him, Misty, and Jody. Misty tells him Amber has a date. Harley confronts Amber in her bedroom, reminding her she was supposed to babysit that night. Amber insists Misty is old enough to watch Jody. Amber accuses Harley of being jealous of her social life. Amber throws her hairbrush at Harley, making him think about the way their father beat them.

Harley sleeps in the basement because Amber moved into his bedroom when Jody was born. Harley never decorated the basement or tried to make his space a comfortable one. It is lit by a single lightbulb, and he often imagines it shattering and the glass getting stuck in his skin. He is afraid the light bulb is about to die, and he doesn’t know where Bonnie keeps the spares. He hasn’t spoken to Bonnie since her trial because he feels she abandoned him, and thinks she feels abandoned by him. Bonnie won’t ever get out of prison, and Harley still wonders what her motive was for killing her husband.

Harley changes for work and returns to the kitchen to eat his dinner. Misty and Jody argue over Jody’s hotdog. It is cut up and Jody doesn’t want it that way. Misty exchanges the hotdog for one of Harley’s, and then Jody insists on milk. Harley listens to them argue and imagines hitting them with the pot full of hot water. Jody is making a list, and Harley peeks at it, seeing that she’s planning her trip to visit Bonnie in prison. He has decided not to take her but doesn’t tell her. The list reminds Harley of a map Bonnie showed him once. It was something she’d drawn as a child and kept in her Bible. Harley drives himself to work and stops to read Skip’s letter as he sits in his truck. He realizes he and Skip were only friends because they lived close to each other.

Harley had trouble finding a job during Bonnie’s trial. The grocery store, Shop Rite, was the first to offer him a job. Harley believes that’s because the manager, Rick Rogers, saw him as a potential draw for new customers. Lots of people ask Harley about what happened between his parents, but he doesn’t think they find his answer interesting.

Harley is a bagger, and he works with two other baggers, Bud and Church. Bud is an older man who is constantly talking. Church has an intellectual disability. Harley believes Rick schedules him with Bud and Church because he can handle physical tasks that Bud and Church struggle with. While stocking shelves, Harley notices a woman shopping alone. He imagines getting up the courage to speak to her, but then realizes the woman is Callie Mercer. The Mercers live two miles from the Altmyers, and Jody is friends with Callie’s daughter, Esme. Callie spots Harley and approaches him. She comments that she heard he won’t allow Amber to get her learner’s permit, and Harley admits that it is because he cannot afford the insurance. Callie compliments Harley for being responsible, then asks if Jody can come to her home for dinner the following Monday. Callie confesses to Harley that she goes shopping in the evenings to have a few minutes alone without the kids.

Harley returns home from work late. He finds Misty asleep on the couch. Harley helps himself to a beer and sits down, rereading a part of Skip’s letter where he mentions two girls he slept with at college. Harley only came close to having sex once, but he had trouble with the condom. Harley puts the letter away and carries Misty to bed. He notices a note in Jody’s handwriting on her nightstand next to a photograph of Misty and their father. The note says that something is against the laws of nature. Harley puts it down to an argument between the girls over Jody’s plush dinosaur collection.

Harley goes down to his own room and gets into bed. Sometime late in the night, he wakes to the sound of Amber having sex upstairs. He grabs the rifle Uncle Mike gave him and finds Amber and her lover on the couch. The couple doesn’t notice him, so he goes outside and fires the gun. Amber and the boy run outside. Amber yells for Harley to stop while the boy argues with her. Harley turns toward the boy, and he leaves. Harley returns to the house, puts the gun down, and pushes the couch out into the front yard. Harley sets the couch on fire.

Harley picks Jody up after work to take her to the prison, despite his earlier decision not to. Misty and Amber don’t go because they are angry with him about the couch. On the drive, Jody expresses excitement over the upcoming Easter holiday. Harley recalls how Jody didn’t speak after their father died, and she rarely ate. The therapist wanted to put her in the hospital, but after a month or so, Jody began speaking again.

They arrive at the prison to find dozens of other children wearing their Sunday best, waiting to see prisoners. The prison has a special visiting area called “Hug Rooms” where prisoners meet with their children. Harley walks Jody to the door and plans on staying in the waiting room, but one of the guards suggests to Jody that Harley can’t handle the visit. This pushes Harley to go into the Hug Room for the first time. To Harley’s surprise, Bonnie is pleased to see him. Bonnie asks about the other girls and is unhappy with Harley’s curt answers. Harley listens to Bonnie and Jody talk and concludes that his sisters don’t feel as abandoned as he does. He puts this down to their gender. He considers picking a fight with Bonnie. Instead, he asks where the spare lightbulbs are. He listens again to Bonnie and Jody talk, imagining what her life is like now compared to the struggles he has taken over for her in raising the girls. Suddenly, it occurs to him that Bonnie wants to be in prison. Harley begins to have a panic attack. Bonnie approaches him, but the guards think she’s hurting him and rush her out of the room. Harley sees words hanging in the air.