NONFICTION - Dec. 11, 1994

THOSE THAT MATTERED by Barbara Angle. (Crown: $22; 307 pp.) In her highly autobiographical first novel, “Those That Mattered,” Barbara Angle gives us a heartfelt account of what it’s like to work in a West Virginia coal mine. The constant danger, slow poisoning of your body by coal dust, and merciless harassment from male miners are all written in a distant, somewhat pretentious prose that shows talent, but lacks polish.

Portia Crowe, granddaughter, daughter and sister of coal miners, is a smart, rebellious young woman. After college and a failed marriage she goes to work in the mines, an act which, as a woman, makes her the focus of intense hostility from the entire town.

Angle’s writing is at its best when Portia is actually underground. There is an interesting relationship, almost an addiction, to the mine itself, the dust and danger, which seems to be at the heart of this story. As soon as Portia enters sunlight Angle’s work loses immediacy. In a prologue to “Those That Mattered,” Angle says, “I will not, must not, be shattered. Hence, a buffer, the invulnerable third person will speak to you.” Yet, isn’t writing, to a certain extent, about being shattered? This story may have been much more effective if it were handled as straight autobiography, perhaps with a co-writer.