Finished Sa 4/16/22
I ordered this novel from Amazon after watching 'TOMATO RED' by Daniel Woodrell. I wanted to order another book by Woodrell, but the prices were too high. I noticed that David Joy was a similar author, so I gave him a shot.
Thad and Aiden are as close as brothers. They live deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains about halfway between Ashville, North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee in a place called Little Canada.
Thad is deeply traumatized after a tour of Afghanistan. Aiden has stayed in the mountains and now lives in a relationship with Thad's mother, April.
No one has steady employment and most of the people get by by making and selling meth.
A local dealer blows his head off accidently. He thought the gun was unloaded and Aiden and Thad take his stash and money. Mayhem rains down.
This was not as compelling as it could have been, but I will definitely keep this author in mind in the future.
From Publishers Weekly:
"Appalachia provides the evocative setting for this tale of a brutal world filled with violence and drugs from Edgar finalist Joy (Where All Light Tends to Go). After a tour in Afghanistan as a soldier, Thad Broom returns to North Carolina more damaged than when he left, unable to forgive or forget what he did there. With nowhere else to go, Thad settles in his dilapidated trailer down the mountain from his mother, April Trantham, who, he knows, has never loved him and is pursued by her own demons. Thad reestablishes an aimless life with his best friend, Aiden McCall, who at age 12 saw his father shoot his mother dead. The two friends suddenly have a windfall of drugs and cash after witnessing the accidental death of their drug dealer. But neither Todd nor Aiden is capable of climbing out of his self-imposed rural prison. Lyrical prose, realistic dialogue, and a story that illuminates the humanity of each character make this a standout."
An interesting review of the book:
https://carolesrandomlife.com/2021/08/09/review-the-weight-of-this-world/
No comments:
Post a Comment