Bastard Out Of Carolina

Content Warning: The source text contains depictions of rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and accidental death; it contains offensive, racist language (including use of the n-word.) This guide contains discussions of rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and violence.

Glen is out of work, and the family has nothing to eat except for ketchup spread on saltines. Although Anney tries to make a game out of the meagre meal, telling Bone and Reese that this isn’t real hunger, that she and her siblings often went much longer without eating real meals, the atmosphere in the household is strained. Glen returns from a fishing trip, and Anney scolds him angrily through clenched teeth about his inability to contribute financially. She herself does hair in addition to her job at the diner. One day she tells the girls to go to their uncle Earle’s, puts on makeup and high-heel shoes, and leaves the house. The girls hitch a ride on the highway from a couple who warns them of the dangers that await young, female hitchhikers. Later that night, Anney picks up the girls, face scrubbed clean of her makeup and looking tired.