Saving CeeCee Honeycut, Chapters 1-5
As our Spring Book Club reading opens, we meet CeeCee, a young girl forced to be caretaker and overseer to her mentally ill mother. It is easy to instantly like CeeCee; while possessing the innocence of a child, much of her life is spent performing very adult tasks; the blend of naivety and wisdom that results in an undeniable appeal. CeeCee herself sees that her life circumstances have a positive side: “…in a strange, upside down way, Momma’s craziness helped me learn more and rise to the top of my class.” Camille, too, is easy to like, despite her inability to care for CeeCee. Although deeply flawed, Camille still has the charm and gentility of a southern belle gone slightly askew.
Less easy to feel fondness for is CeeCee’s absentee father, who, despite warnings from his daughter and neighbor about the state of Camille’s health, chooses to look away. While not an uncommon reaction to mental illness, CeeCee’s father becomes so detached that he is completely unaware of his daughter’s love of books, reading and her academic achievements. This fact seems to hurt CeeCee even more than the countless escapades involving her mother’s bizarre behavior, as she develops a deep hatred for her father.
Salvation for CeeCee comes after her mother’s death, when she is taken in by her Aunt Tootie, a well-mannered and kind southern woman who resides in the heart of Savannah, Georgia. While deeply moved by Aunt Tootie’s kindness and genuine warmth, CeeCee remains apprehensive about the move until Mrs. Odell offers this wisdom: “When a chapter of your Life Book is complete, your spirit knows it’s time to turn the page so a new chapter can begin. Even when you’re scared or think you’re not ready, your spirit knows you are.” It is this truth that CeeCee clings to as she takes the leap into a life she could have never before imagined.
I look forward to reading your insights on these first few chapters. Here are a few conversation starters:
- How would CeeCee’s life be different if Mrs. Odell had chosen to avoid Camille’s mental illness, and therefore any interaction with CeeCee?
- Were you able to feel any compassion or understanding for CeeCee’s father? Do you think CeeCee should forgive her father?
- By CeeCee’s account, her home surroundings reflected the disorder and messiness of Camille’s state of mind; however Camille’s prom dresses were neatly arranged by color, “like a worn-out tattered rainbow.” Why could Camille order and arrange dresses but nothing else?
Happy reading!
—Seraphina Ashe
Director of Guest Experience Programming
Glen Ivy Hot Springs
I am really enjoying this book. CeeCee is a wonderful character that grabs my heart and Camille’s tortured soul is so sad. We sometimes complain about the parent we were born to, but we always need to remember we were given that parent to help mold and create the person we are today. Just like CeeCee, Camille has taught CeeCee to be a survivor. I don’t think CeeCee would have buried herself in books if she had had a different mother.
Mental illness affects the whole family. I have a few friends with relatives who refuse to take their medication thinking they don’t need it. Their decision has dire consequences. Families feel guilt, walk away or try to be a savior to the one that is ill.
I can understand Camille’s “tattered rainbow”. Coordinating her prom
dresses was the last piece of sanity she could hold onto. Her
rainbow gave her purpose and brought back sweet memories of days gone
by.
I look forward to reading CeeCee’s new page in her life story.
I loved the relationship that CeeCee had Mrs. Odell had developed. She was the one person, in a life of tumoil and uncertainty, who made an effort to nurture CeeCee. She was careful not to intervene but to supply a safe harbor for CeeCee to enjoy Sunday morning pancakes and some wise words of wisdom. The passage about turning the page in her “Life Book” and about change in our lives was so simple yet so relevant. We learn and grow as each chapter closes which opens and prepares us for the next passage. Often, in the moment, some of the events in our lives feel insignificant or unimportant, but in retrospect, we can see how each chapter prepares us for the next.
This is a lovely book. Having just received it I was able to get caught up last night. In answer to your questions, my first thought was that Mrs. Odell would be a lovely person for CeeCee to go live with. But both characters knew that because of her age (80) Mrs. Odell could become a burden on CeeCee or pass away leaving CeeCee with another loss to bear. Therefore Aunt Tootie was the right choice. In reference to CeeCee’s father, I did not care for him in the beginning, but found myself feeling sorry for him as the book continued. He was stuck in a situation that he was dealing with poorly. The one good decision he made appears to be that he sent CeeCee to Aunt Tootie who was better able to care for her and he thought it best to be gone, allowing CeeCee to hate him to “turn the page”. Good book!
I got started a bit late on the book but I am catching up and joining in. It is such a captivating read it is hard to put down. If we are lucky, in difficult situations we get an “angel” in our lives, who, like Mrs. Odell helped CeeCee, helps us with attention and understanding. When we are in a position of being a Mrs. Odell, the help and impact that our presence can give is far more than we might realize at the time. I think she was a lifesaver for CeeCee.
I do think CeeCee will eventually forgive her father. She is gaining so much wisdom as she grows and heals with her Aunt Tootie this summer. As for her father, I have a bit more understanding for him than I would if this were set in contemporary times. We have come to be much more open about mental illness today than we were even thirty to fifty years ago. In talking about this book with others in a group almost everyone chimed in with an antecdote about someone they knew struggling with mental illness. I don’t think people were as open about this even thirty years ago. I felt sorry for Mr. Honeycutt.