There are brief moments of great contentment in Arnow’s epic novel of second world war America, first published in 1954: the reader would be well advised to store these up to offset the unremitting misery of the rest of her harrowing story. From the opening chapter in which Kentucky hill farmer Gertie Nevels performs a tracheotomy on her youngest child in a desperate effort to save his life, this is a book of biblical intensity. The Nevels, struggling to survive as sharecroppers, join the great migration of rural Americans and move to Detroit where there is the promise of work in the booming industries of war. The abject hell of the public housing where they live is described in details that make you weep for the author’s own experiences, on which the narrative draws. The heavily accented (and phonetically spelled) dialogue pulls you deep below the surface of a teeming, hostile subculture in which survival is by no means certain. With vivid insights into racial, religious and labour tensions, this is a terrifying lesson in US history – and a haunting tragedy.
• The Dollmaker is published by Vintage Classics (£8.99). To order a copy for £7.64 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
