nachoh

Really good, and not at all what I was expecting. Rash's description of small Appalachian communities can be pretty dark and grim, but it's also dead-on accurate. Travis Shelton, a high school dropout living in Madison County, North Carolina, finds a field of marijuana while he is looking for a new fishing hole. He steals a few plants to sell to a small-time drug dealer for extra money. When he returns for more, his foot is mangled in a bear trap that was left out by the growers, the vicious Toomeys. In the aftermath of his injury, Travis's father kicks him out. He moves in with Leonard Shuler, the dealer who bought the first batch of plants, and his eternally-drugged girlfriend. Leonard becomes a father figure for Travis, helping him to finish his GED and encouraging him to apply to college. Unfortunately, just when the men seem to be getting their lives in order, the Toomeys make a violent return. I didn't love the end-- I thought it was needlessly dramatic (Full disclosure: lately I almost never like the end of books. I think it may be a personal failing.) Otherwise, I thought this was a terrific book. Rash really seemed to understand the insularity of small mountain communities, and the sense of hopelessness and pointlessness that can mark life there. Not exactly uplifting, but I'm very glad I read it.

2023-07-16 17:27