I could not put this book down. I know some people will say that this is all about upper middle class snobs and racists in upper Michigan, on the brink of WWII, so what. But if you want a slice of a pre-war society that no longer exists, seen through the eyes of a 7 year old boy, and lyrically written, read on. There a number of finely drawn portraits: Mrs. Steer, originally from Denmark, who is the only adult in this small society who is a Democrat and supports FDR; the doctor who has given up alcohol for Coca-Cola, and is trying to convince his neighbors to do the same; the father who is an industrialist and a loving, involved parent at the same time; the glamourous mother who is probably involved with a dashing owner of a Canadian silver mine. For instance, one New Year's morning, the whole crowd returns from the country club party for a 3 a.m. breakfast at Tommy's home. He is not supposed to be awake, and is spying on the adults. He sees his mother being bumped into at the stove by a guest, while she is pouring boiling water into teapots, which causes her to scald herself. Luke Wolf, the silver mine owner, who is home for the holidays, immediately pulls down her stocking and starts rubbing butter into the burn, while Mrs. Steer stands by, and pronounces that he is simply cooking the injury. Later, Tommy crawls under one of the dining tables, to listen to the conversation. Instead, he sees Wolf, who is sitting next to his mother, (while his father sits at the head of another table), take her burned leg into his lap and massage it. As the guests are getting up from the meal, Mrs. Steer drops an earring, and discovers Tommy under the table while searching for it. His mother takes him back up to bed, and he begins crying, saying over and over again, "Oh Mommy, why did you have to burn your leg?" And you know that he knows something is wrong with the picture, but he can't explain or fully understand it.
Veneer is the best word here. This is the rather restricted world of upscale Grand Riviere, MI during the Depression. The hard world outside is exactly that, however. Outside. The novel is this world viewed through the eyes of 7-year old Tommy MacAllister who always keeps in mind what he's been told is the good and best way of conducting oneself with friends and neighbors, and particularly with adults. It's adults Tommy observes most closely, and there the veneer becomes apparent as he realizes there are some things he doesn't understand but still knows enough to have misgivings about. Beneath the propriety of family and neighbors there's an undercurrent of mischief and misconduct he can register but not quite make sense of. Faintly reminding me of William Maxwell's fine Time Will Darken It, this is an intense and microscopic look at his parents, siblings, and those they socialize with. Nicely rendered, consistently innocent yet full of clues, it drags at times because the observations of Tommy are often too detailed without any forward movement in the novel other than his observations themselves. The long Thanksgiving Day dinner and Christmas day celebration are examples. The novel is best when Tommy sees adults being themselves. He suspects but doesn't fully understand. His pov, however, passes understanding to the reader.
Do You like book Testing The Current (1985)?
A worthy read and worth sticking with it. A seemingly simple rendition of a year in the life of an 7-8 year old boy is much, much more. There is everything from upper class snobbery, racism in Upper Peninsula, Michigan and wrongdoing by a major corporation. Introduced to this at book group at Grandpa's Barn in Copper Harbor, MI. One of the members reported that the area in the book saw 5 military bases during WWII. This book ends with the rumblings of war in 1939. Overall, a book full of insights. The writing style is rich with long, long sentences. But isn't that how a little boy (or girl) thinks? My life is richer after reading this. I carry memories of the people and events in the book.
—Alan
An unusually compelling read in a novel where not much happens told from the point of view of an eight-year-old boy from a well to do family in Michigan in 1939. His father owns and manages the local chemical factory. They live in a large house with live-in staff, they belong to the local country club, and they summer on the nearby “Island” in the river with the other wealthy families. For the most part the author manages to convincingly describe the people and events through the eyes of an eight-year-old. The boy, Tommy, clearly sees what is going on but he doesn’t always understand. He tends to prefer people whom his parents don’t necessarily approve of. Even though I liked the book, not much changes, and there are at least two significant plot developments that never go anywhere, which at first annoyed me but which in the end I kind of appreciated.
—Dpdwyer
Testing the Current develops slowly. It's a coming of age story with a perceptive main character, Tommy, who witnesses the varieties of life in his WASP centered upper middle class life. His family has made it finically through the Depression, but things are of course only calm on the surface. Tommy notices things about his neighbors, as well as things that don't quite add up about his family, and because of his age points them out. The mood of a Midwestern US/Canadian border town permeates this story, and it is very much a mood piece at times. At others, there is an excellent connection between things Tommy has noticed earlier and later developments in the plot. Testing the Current may not be fast paced and may not always immediately display connections between the anecdotes Tommy experiences, but in the end the plot elements as well as Tommy's character are skillfully developed by the author, William McPherson. While I don't generally care for coming-of-age novels, this addition to the genre is well worth the read.
—Margaret
