South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Somewhere along the way I had put Pat Conroy in a lightweight beach-reading category, and it wasn't until I read a review of this most recent book of his that I realized he was a more serious author than that.

South of Broad was a good read.  It is about a group of friends who grow up together in Charleston, South Carolina, and alternates between their lives as teenagers in the late 1960's and then as adults twenty years later.  As children, the group forms around Leo, a bright kid who appreciates who his friends are, independent of race, class, and sexual orientation.  Years later, he remains the stable force who keeps the friends together.

The character development was definitely the most compelling piece of this book.  In addition to Leo, there were at least seven or eight main characters, all of whom I felt like I knew. In particular, I was impressed by Conroy's ability to develop the characters over 20 years.  I also liked how Conroy addressed several major social issues without that being the central theme of the book.

I would definitely choose something else by him in the future.