Article published May 11,
2003
A nod to 'Lolita'
Author sets book in the fictitious town of Citrus
In his second novel to be published, Scott M. Morris paints a setting so real, it is hard to believe that Citrus, Fla., doesn't really exist.
The fourth-generation Floridian, who grew up in Windermere near Orlando admits that he just dreamed the town up. But the description of the fictitious Panhandle town is so vivid, it makes you check a map just to be sure.
"I had a little bit of Windermere and Winter Garden and Oxford (Mississippi) in mind as I wrote," said Morris during a phone interview from his home in Oxford, where he teaches English at the University of Mississippi.
Morris will be at Goering's Book Store to promote his most recent novel, "Waiting for April" (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $23.95), with a book signing scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. His Florida tour also will include stops in Seaside, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and Tallahassee.
The book, set in the lush Florida countryside, begins with the arrival of a handsome stranger who walks into the Panhandle town of Citrus during a tropical storm in 1965.
Within a couple of years, he alienates everyone in town, and turns up dead in what is labeled a hunting accident. The secrets of the man's past begin to reveal themselves to his son, Roy.
Morris, who has also authored "The Total View of Taftly," worked on "April" for seven years before it finally made its way into print. "I started the book in 1995, and I ended up putting it to bed last November, when it went to the printer," he says.
And although it is the second book Morris has published, "Waiting for April" is actually the fifth book he has written.
"I'd written four before I got published. I was despaired, to say the least. But what a tremendous joy it was to work on this book," he quips.
"Waiting for April" is reminiscent of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita," which describes the sexual exploits of a pedophile and an alluring young girl.
However, Morris turns the tables in his novel by switching the ages and sexes of his main characters, Roy Collier, and his captivating young aunt, April. Morris said he had "Lolita" in mind while he penned the novel, and even includes a brief description of a nameless character who resembles an elderly Nabokov.
"There's a lot of playfulness" in "Waiting for April," he said.
Despite the playfulness, the book is somewhat disturbing in that it describes the impossible relationship between a nephew and his aunt, as well as their strange and almost tortured lives.
"These characters have been described as eccentric, but I see them as being rather heroic," says Morris.
"In particular, April has a lot to negotiate. I adore this woman. One thing that I like about her is that one can give up and fold in, do the right thing and become embittered, but she still has this great love of life, which is something that she passes on to Roy."
Roy's life is based on a series of lies and denial, created by himself and his family. Roy's well-intentioned mother constantly reminds him to live up to his family name, never revealing that his last name was changed, in part, to hide a shady past.
Despite his spurious upbringing, Roy overcomes his family's dark history and succeeds in spite of the odds against him.
In writing "Waiting for April," Morris said he "wanted to take a character who was flawed as we all are, and yet have this character succeed on a personal level. I really did not want a book that ended in an ambiguous way."
That is obvious in the unexpected and somewhat incongruous conclusion of the novel.
A nod to 'Lolita'
Author sets book in the fictitious town of Citrus
In his second novel to be published, Scott M. Morris paints a setting so real, it is hard to believe that Citrus, Fla., doesn't really exist.
The fourth-generation Floridian, who grew up in Windermere near Orlando admits that he just dreamed the town up. But the description of the fictitious Panhandle town is so vivid, it makes you check a map just to be sure.
"I had a little bit of Windermere and Winter Garden and Oxford (Mississippi) in mind as I wrote," said Morris during a phone interview from his home in Oxford, where he teaches English at the University of Mississippi.
Morris will be at Goering's Book Store to promote his most recent novel, "Waiting for April" (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $23.95), with a book signing scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. His Florida tour also will include stops in Seaside, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and Tallahassee.
The book, set in the lush Florida countryside, begins with the arrival of a handsome stranger who walks into the Panhandle town of Citrus during a tropical storm in 1965.
Within a couple of years, he alienates everyone in town, and turns up dead in what is labeled a hunting accident. The secrets of the man's past begin to reveal themselves to his son, Roy.
Morris, who has also authored "The Total View of Taftly," worked on "April" for seven years before it finally made its way into print. "I started the book in 1995, and I ended up putting it to bed last November, when it went to the printer," he says.
And although it is the second book Morris has published, "Waiting for April" is actually the fifth book he has written.
"I'd written four before I got published. I was despaired, to say the least. But what a tremendous joy it was to work on this book," he quips.
"Waiting for April" is reminiscent of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita," which describes the sexual exploits of a pedophile and an alluring young girl.
However, Morris turns the tables in his novel by switching the ages and sexes of his main characters, Roy Collier, and his captivating young aunt, April. Morris said he had "Lolita" in mind while he penned the novel, and even includes a brief description of a nameless character who resembles an elderly Nabokov.
"There's a lot of playfulness" in "Waiting for April," he said.
Despite the playfulness, the book is somewhat disturbing in that it describes the impossible relationship between a nephew and his aunt, as well as their strange and almost tortured lives.
"These characters have been described as eccentric, but I see them as being rather heroic," says Morris.
"In particular, April has a lot to negotiate. I adore this woman. One thing that I like about her is that one can give up and fold in, do the right thing and become embittered, but she still has this great love of life, which is something that she passes on to Roy."
Roy's life is based on a series of lies and denial, created by himself and his family. Roy's well-intentioned mother constantly reminds him to live up to his family name, never revealing that his last name was changed, in part, to hide a shady past.
Despite his spurious upbringing, Roy overcomes his family's dark history and succeeds in spite of the odds against him.
In writing "Waiting for April," Morris said he "wanted to take a character who was flawed as we all are, and yet have this character succeed on a personal level. I really did not want a book that ended in an ambiguous way."
That is obvious in the unexpected and somewhat incongruous conclusion of the novel.