The Line That Held Us
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4.0 • 39 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
An accidental death, and the cover-up that follows, sparks a dark series of events that reverberates through the lives of four people who will never be the same again.
When Darl Moody went hunting after a monster buck, a kill that could make the difference between meat for the winter and an empty freezer, he never expected he'd accidentally shoot a man digging ginseng. Worse yet, he's killed a Brewer, a family notorious for vengeance and violence.
With nowhere to turn, Darl calls on the help of the only man he knows will answer, his best friend, Calvin Hooper. But when Dwayne Brewer comes looking for his missing brother and stumbles onto a blood trail leading straight back to Darl and Calvin--and to Calvin's girlfriend, Angie--a nightmare of revenge rips apart their world.
A story of friendship and family, The Line That Held Us is a tale balanced between destruction and redemption, where the only hope is to hold on tight, clenching those you love. From a writer whose stories are "like a pull from a bottle of Appalachian moonshine: smooth and elegant with a punch in the gut that lingers a while after you're done" (Garden & Gun), Joy's book is another masterwork of Southern noir.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Joy (Where All Light Tends to Go) pulls no punches in this stark and violent examination of sacrifice and suffering. After Darl Moody accidentally shoots and kills Carol "Sissy" Brewer while hunting, he enlists his best friend, Calvin Hooper, to help hide the body, as he fears the retaliation of Sissy's savage, hulking brother, Dwayne. Rightfully so, it turns out, as Dwayne sets out for savage revenge after he can't find his brother and comes across blood traces in an area where he normally digs for ginseng. Instead of focusing on salt-of-the-earth Darl, Calvin, and Calvin's girlfriend, Angie, who form a pact to cover up the crime, the narrative centers on Dwayne; his fixation on maniacal justice as he hunts down and exacts revenge is terrifying yet complicated through haunting glimpses of his abusive childhood and dedication to his family. The eerie presence of Sissy's dead body throughout the novel, meanwhile, compounds the paranoia that builds alongside Dwayne's and Calvin's troubled ruminations, culminating by the end in the powerful possibility of collective redemption. Fans of Frank Bill and Cormac McCarthy will enjoy this gritty thriller.
Customer Reviews
Southern noir at its best
Joy is a gifted writer who has the ability to really make you connect with and feel for his characters. You find yourself questioning who the bad guy truly is in this book. What it really boils down to is love and loyalty on both sides of the conflict. Great book, great writer.
Authentic
Any works of art in which the details make it evident that the artist has lived in the culture they write about makes for an unmatched experience. Living the life as opposed to researching it is unmistakable in writing. From Evan Felker mentioning wrapping his hands around a Belgian made Browning to David Joy describing a field strip of a 1911, authenticity shining through art about nature and outdoor activities gives me a feeling I can’t find elsewhere. Read this book.
Love David Joy
David Joy has a way of making you understand and connect with the most unloving of characters. This book along with his others is absolutely fantastic and a MUST read.