At first I wasn't too excited about reading Bastard Out of Carolina, it started off pretty dry, but by the end of the book I was pretty impressed. I think the one thing I found most unique about the book was the almost brutal honesty in it. I was shocked when I read about Bone's reaction to her abuse. I think Dorothy Allison did a good job in presenting truthful subject matter that many other authors would have been embarassed to write about. Although I found the book disturbing, I found it honest, and so the author was very good at staying true to her craft and telling the story like it really is.