Too Close to the Falls

Lately I have been really into reading memoirs. I am so used to reading fiction that I always seem to figure out what is going to happen in the plot, before it actually happens. The lack of imagination that some writers have blows my mind at times. Yet the great thing about memoirs are that they are totally unpredictable. The stories told do not follow the usual plot themes of the average novel, making each memoir unique and memorable. At the same time it can be difficult reading because you want so badly for something to turn out OK or for the story to come full circle, and often times they do not.

Too Close to the Falls follows the life of Cathy McClure while growing up in Lewiston, New York, in the 1950's. In the beginning Cathy is 4-years-old and the book ends with her as 11-years-old. Cathy is the only child of her strange and lovable middle aged parents. Her mother is nothing like the quintessential 50's housewife, she doesn't clean or cook, and the family eats out for every meal. "Mother was convinced that it was important never to learn to cook or type or you'd be requested to do both against your will forever." Cathy's father is a pharmacist who owns the town drug store. Cathy, unlike other children her age, starts working at her fathers pharmacy, full time, at the age of 4. Today Cathy would have been diagnosed with ADHD, but in the 50's it was believed that she had too much excess energy. The doctor thought it would be in Cathy's best interest if she started working so as to expend that energy. Cathy helps deliver medications with the pharmacists delivery man Roy. Roy cannot read so Cathy is in charge of reading the map and the list of medications, while Roy drives the van.

A majority of the book depicts the experiences Cathy had driving around Lewiston and the neighboring towns delivering drugs with Roy. The encounters that Cathy and Roy have while delivering medications are all at once incredible, funny and sometimes deeply saddening. Because of her exposure to the world, Cathy understands human nature better than people triple her age. Although some of the situations she finds herself in, she does not fully understand the full meaning of what is happening to her.

The last portion of the book transitions into her teenage years. It is at this point in her life that Cathy quickly learns that the world is not completely black and white in regards to religion, 'morals' and what is right and wrong. Unfortunately, the loss of her innocence comes at a high price.

At times I found some of Cathy's stories to be hard to believe. Many of the memories from her childhood are extremely detailed, leading me to think that maybe she embellished a few. Yet regardless as to how valid or accurate her stories are, I still enjoyed them immensely. Cathy's life is definitely one in a million, and it's not everyday that you stumble upon a book like this.