- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 1266 KB
- Print Length: 272 pages
- Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (March 3 2015)
-
Sold by: Penguin Group USA
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00L9AXYU8
Book Description
"Lyrical,
propulsive, dark and compelling. Joy knows well the grit and gravel of
his world, the soul and blemishes of the place."--Daniel Woodrell
In the country-noir tradition of Winter's Bone meets 'Breaking Bad,' a savage and beautiful story of a young man seeking redemption.
The
area surrounding Cashiers, North Carolina, is home to people of all
kinds, but the world that Jacob McNeely lives in is crueler than most.
His father runs a methodically organized meth ring, with local
authorities on the dime to turn a blind eye to his dealings. Having
dropped out of high school and cut himself off from his peers, Jacob has
been working for this father for years, all on the promise that his
payday will come eventually. The only joy he finds comes from reuniting
with Maggie, his first love, and a girl clearly bound for bigger and
better things than their hardscrabble town.
Jacob has always been
resigned to play the cards that were dealt him, but when a fatal
mistake changes everything, he’s faced with a choice: stay and appease
his father, or leave the mountains with the girl he loves. In a place
where blood is thicker than water and hope takes a back seat to fate,
Jacob wonders if he can muster the strength to rise above the only life
he’s ever known.
Praise for Where All Light Tends to Go
“Readers
of Southern grit lit in the tradition of Daniel Woodrell and Harry
Crews will enjoy this fast-paced debut thriller. Fans of Ron Rash’s
novels will appreciate the intricate plot and Joy’s establishment of a
strong sense of place in his depiction of rural Appalachia.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Joy’s
first novel is an uncompromising noir, its downward thrust pulling like
quicksand on both the characters and the reader. And, yet, there is
poetry here, too, as there is in Daniel Woodrell’s novels, the kind of
poetry that draws its power from a doomed character’s grit in the face
of disaster. . . This is the start of a very promising fiction-writing
career.”—Booklist
“Gripping . . . Engaging characters, a well-realized setting, and poetic prose establish Joy as a novelist worth watching.”—Publishers Weekly
“Joy’s
debut is about hope as much as it is fate . . . [it] is harrowing.
Joy’s voice is authentic, his prose sparse, his eye for detail minute.
Everything works in this novel to push the reader closer and closer to
the cliff’s edge, hoping against hope that what won’t be required is to
jump off.”—Mountain Times
“Where All Light Tends to Go is
lyrical, propulsive, dark and compelling. In this debut novel, David
Joy makes it clear that he knows well the grit and gravel of his world,
the soul and blemishes of the place. He uses details that put us inside
the picture, and lets his narrative move at a graceful but restless
pace.”—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter’s Bone and The Maid’s Version
“David Joy has written a savage and moving account of a young man’s attempt to transcend his family’s legacy of violence. Where All Light Tends to Go
is an outstanding debut and a fine addition to the country noir vein of
Southern Literature.”—Ron Rash, PEN/Faulkner Finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Serena
“Where All Light Tends to Go
is deeply rooted in place, written in an assured, authentic voice.
David Joy manages to be both lyrical and gritty, loving and horrifyingly
violent, funny and grim. His picture of modern Appalachia is rich and
evocative, with bold storytelling not often seen in a first novel. This
book is an amazing start to a career that could make Joy the Larry Brown
of the Appalachians.”—Ace Atkins, New York Times-bestselling author of The Forsaken
“Compelling and authentic . . . a harsh tale of young love’s tender
hopes set against the brutal realities of ruined Appalachia. Jacob
McNeely’s story is one worth reading.”—Tawni O’Dell, New York Times-bestselling author of Back Roads
“David Joy writes under the auspices of community, heartbreak, and
love, and makes use of the warmest color in fiction - gray. What is
right and what is wrong and who is to decide? In the North Carolina
mountains, these answers don't come easy. Big decisions come with big
consequences, and if you second guess, you lose.”—Michael Farris Smith,
author of Rivers and The Hands of Strangers
“Running with the dopers, drunks and less fortunate in my youth, those
who were doomed by their surroundings, the story that David Joy tells is
one of truth, power and circumstance and quite possibly a tour de force
in American letters.”—Frank Bill, author of Crimes in Southern Indiana and Donnybrook
“Where All Light Tends to Go reads
like the whiskey-breath of Harry Crews word-drunk on the lyricism of
Daniel Woodrell. It's as brutally beautiful as it is
heartbreaking.”—Mark Powell, author of The Dark Corner
“David Joy gives us a world that is equal parts graceful beauty and true grit in this poetic and heart-pounding novel. Where All Light Tends to Go
contains those essential elements for a novel that ‘sticks to the
ribs’: complex and memorable characters, a palpable sense of place, and
a plot that is driven as much by suspense as lyricism. You won't be
able to put down this profoundly moving and illuminating look into a
mysterious and intricate world where the smell of the southern pines
mingles with the scent of cooking meth.”—Silas House, author of Clay's Quilt and Eli the Good
“David Joy's Where All Light Tends to Go will be compared to a handful of grit lit masterpieces, but Joy's his own writer. It's a double
page turner--I couldn't stop reading, but I relished each page twice,
mesmerized by the language and plot twists. For every scene of evil
personified, there's goodness. For every horrific act of lawless
characters, there's the sublime. I'll remember—and be haunted by—this
novel for a long, long time.”—George Singleton, author of Between Wrecks
About the Author
David Joy is the author
of the novels Where All Light Tends to Go (Putnam, 2015) and Waiting On
The End Of The World (Putnam, 2016), as well as the memoir Growing
Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey (Bright Mountain Books, 2011), which
was a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award and the Ragan
Old North State Award for Creative Nonfiction. His work is represented
by Julia Kenny of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.
My Review
Southern Grit...Backwoods Noir...Appalachians Noir...however you wish to classify Where All Light Tends to Go, it can be tough to read in parts. It takes this reader into a realm so foreign that it is hard for me to imagine such a harsh life in such a gorgeous setting. I love the area of North Carolina where the novel is set. I've driven some of those roads...with a naive heart I think. Visitors don't always see the harsh reality of the places they travel through. Where I saw a bucolic setting in the Appalachians, for the people who live there the reality is much darker. The introduction of meth and prescription drugs have changed the lives of Americans living on the margins of poverty.
Where All Light Tends To Go is a beautifully written book. It is also incredibly brutal at times. I was spellbound but wanted to put it down and forget what I was reading. The book is filled with fascinating characters and amazing plot twists. It is a dark book. I cannot even imagine such an existence. It took me to a place I hope I never will be.
Light equals Heaven. What does dark equal?
Brilliant debut novel. Where All Light Tends To Go should be a movie. I'm looking forward to reading David Joy's next book. Yes, I really am.
