Luli eventually reencounters harebrained Eddie Creezer. This time, he has a rather unique sexual encounter planned for her. Luli is fascinated by his face: "His eyes oogle around like toy button eyes on a sock puppet."
Luli plays up to him, only to get herself tied helplessly to a bed at Beaumont Kluck’s Cabin Retreat where she is molested for several days. Not exactly unhappy with her feckless situation she seems to enjoy the attention and sensations plowed into her by freaky skinny Creezer, affection she has never known before.
Eventually freed, Luli moves on. Like a magnet, misadventures follow her throughout Hick. Portes has Luli meet a variety of troublemaking dregs from whom she eventually concludes there must be a better approach to life because she is bumbling through the worst of it. She learns quickly. She has to in order to bounce back and survive as a very young teen.
Luli never lets herself fall into depression or despair. Heartbroken at times, she keeps her rainbow dream of a better life in sight. If she must look back, it is only to wonder what happened to her dysfunctional parents who gave her life, but who are no use to her now. She knows she will survive.
Hick is fast paced, it is original, it is an outstanding novel of perseverance and courage. Luli’s sometimes crude descriptions will make a reader howl but at the same time, root for her survival amidst all the foul play tugging at her heartstrings. She is out there, she is alone, but damn, she will survive. "I’m not looking back playing that same old song no more. I ain’t gonna spend my life staring at my socks, slouching to a chorus of mighta coulda shoulda woulda."
I would recommend Hick to any reader looking for a fascinating story and is not offended by the “F” word. Luli has heard it from infancy. Her speech would sound unnatural without it considering the years of low-life she endured before taking off on her own.
I would sincerely hope that author Portes is planning a sequel to Hick so readers who fall in love with charismatic Luli like I did, can ultimately see her fate. I would personally like to congratulate Andrea Portes for writing Hick. One would never know it was a first novel.
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