William Faulkner meets Deliverance and/or Thunder Road. Well, that’s not really fair, but this book, while an engrossing page-turner, ultimately annoyed me. He can write so well and it should have been better. Luce, who is living alone as a caretaker in an abandoned summer resort in the foothills in North Carolina, is suddenly presented with the guardianship of her sister’s young boy/girl twins. They have witnessed their mother’s murder at the hands of their stepfather, which has rendered them mute, or perhaps they were born damaged. Bud, the stepfather, has beaten the rap and appears in the mountain town near the resort. He is convinced that the twins hold the key to missing money, money he stole and that his wife concealed from him while he was drunk. Meanwhile, the heir to the resort has also arrived to check out his late grandfather’s property and finds Luce and the children. A kind of romance ensues. Oh, did I mention the tiny, corrupt, but respected, sheriff is Luce’s father – and that he and Bud form an uneasy friendship based on Bud’s bootlegging? When the twins run away into the forest to evade the wicked stepfather, I swear I heard banjos…. On the other hand, good does triumph over evil ultimately. 272 pp.
Charles Frazier is a favorite author of mine, and this book does not disappoint. With a rich story and Frazier's remarkable talents as a storyteller, the story is a can't miss tale that takes you to Appalachia and surrounds you immediately with rich prose and an amazing story. And I loved trying the bacon with popcorn mentioned in the book. That alone is worth some praise.
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