"Miss Jane" A Novel by Brad Watson based on His Aunt Born with a Debilitating Congenital Disorder

"Miss Jane" is an old fashioned novel, set in MS in the early 20th C written in a languorous style.  Our heroine Miss Jane is born into a stoic farming family in a rural MS town.  Jane's birth, which was not a heralded event by the Chisholm household.  She was born to an embittered mother and stoic father.  Complicating the unwelcome child into this household which had its share of death, is the child's rare congenital disorder.  Brad Watson's unhurried storytelling slowly reveal the specific birth defect that mars Jane's future chances at finding love and forming her own family.  Watson (b Amer 1955) is a distinguished novelist.  "The Heaven of Mercury" was a Nat'l Book Finalist and "Aliens at the Prime of Their Lives" won the Pen/Faulkner Award.  Watson's languid writing allows the reader to assume the girl is a hermaphrodite; having birth female & male genitalia.  The local country Dr. Thompson who delivers Jane will remain a major companion in her life.  Dr. Thompson instructs the embittered mother to raise their newborn as a girl.  The parents have buried two children & their 2 oldest sons have already left to raise their own families.  The only sibling living at home is Jane's much older sister Grace who assumes the key role in raising her while devising her own nefarious escape from this desolate place.   Jane is mystified with a sense that she herself is some kind of curious creature; unlike other females.  Jane's congenital disorder is persistent cloaca  revealed later in the story.  Persistent cloaca is when the body develops only one orifice for the anus, urethra and vagina.  In small towns, there are no secrets, plenty of gossip & resentments.  People's cruel ignorance abounds within & outside of the Chisholm home.  Moreover, the novel is a thoughtful examination of the melancholy borne of being alone in the world.  Knowing of Jane's palpable isolation we still see her as an impenetrable force in the world.  Dr. Thompson, a steadfast confidant answers all Jane's inquiries candidly to the best of his ability.  He assures her the highest form of love transcends physical love and that the love of one person for another defies classification.  "Miss Jane' is a character driven story underscored by human nature that defies the need for physical perfection.  Sadly, human nature also has the tendency to dissipate over time.  "Beauty is truth, truth beauty that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." (J. Keats)