Book Review: "When Love Was Clean Underwear" by Susan Barr-Toman

Title: When Love Was Clean Underwear
Author: Susan Barr-Toman
Publisher: New Rivers Press
ISBN, PUB Date: 978-89823-243-1, 2009
Reviewed By: Joan Hanna for Author Exposure

I wanted to read Susan Barr-Toman's When Love Was Clean Underwear because I am drawn to things written about South Philadelphia, having grown up there. South Philly has such a specific energy stenciled into the speech patterns and belief systems of the people who live there. Even though the houses may all look the same, the inhabitants are anything but ordinary. Susan’s book did not disappoint.


Lucy, the main character, is living every South Philly Italian girl’s nightmare as her life is controlled by her domineering mother’s personality and illness. Nearly 30 years old and still a virgin, Lucy takes care of her mother and her mother’s house according to edicts placed on index cards. We are introduced to this system and the control of Lucy’s mother, Marge, from the very beginning:

"As Lucy returned to the dining room, Marge pointed to her purse. Lucy knew what she wanted—the index cards with Marge’s final to-do list ... For as long as Lucy could remember, index cards were how Marge ordered the days, weeks and seasons of her life. She kept all but these final ones in a recipe box on the kitchen windowsill. Mostly they were instructions on keeping house, some recipes—Marge’s parting gift to Lucy so she wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel ... Lucy sat next to her mother, and when Marge nodded, Lucy read from the first card: Number One: Place pillow over my face and apply firm but gentle pressure for a minimum of five minutes.” (8)

So begins a journey that Lucy never even knew she wanted. She is suddenly forced out of her home and into a life filled with people and emotions that were once suppressed by her mother.

The author brings the characters and neighborhoods to life in a subtle, but thorough way. The reader will believe every character in this book: the neighbors prattling through her kitchen; Lucy’s strained relationship with her sister; the men that suddenly have a weight and a depth in Lucy’s life. You will hear the echoing of her mother’s voice always in the background like a ghost that will not let go. You will even like the minor characters in this story, including the neighbors Lucy encounters that first morning scrubbing her steps:

“Suddenly the front doors of the houses on either side of hers opened simultaneously and two elderly women emerged, one from each house, with tattered lawn chairs under their arms ... The women moved in synchronicity as they held onto their wrought-iron railings and used the metal frames of their chairs as canes. Clicking sounds emanated from their hip joints, punctuating their slow progress. They brought their chairs to the edge of their houses so that they were as close to each other, as close to Lucy, as possible without being on her property.” (60)

Before a word is spoken, these women come to life for the reader. And when they do begin to speak, will fill you like shadows from that now gone generation. These characters make no excuses and their energy will entertain you in strange and comical ways.

Susan Barr-Toman has masterfully captured the neighborhoods of South Philly in When Love Was Clean Underwear. You will love the grace with which the author uses subtle brushstrokes to uncover the layers within her characters. You will love how her language flows and meanders rhythmically across the page. But you will especially love Lucy. Her innocence will warm you. Her frustration will fill you. And by the end of the book, you will cheer for her as she embraces her coming-of-age with grace, strength and a surprising determination.