Bastard Out of Carolina

"Bastard Out of Carolina" is the acclaimed first novel by American author Dorothy Allison, published in 1992. Set in rural Greenville County, South Carolina, in the 1950s, the story follows Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright, a young girl growing up in extreme poverty within a large, struggling family. It chronicles Bone's attempts to understand her place in the world as she endures profound neglect and abuse. The narrative is deeply informed by Allison's own experiences as a working-class lesbian writer from the South, exploring themes of class, gender, and survival through the eyes of a queer protagonist.