Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash Published by Ecco Books on September 8, 2015
Genres: Literary Fiction
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Publisher's summary:
In this poetic and haunting tale set in contemporary Appalachia, New York Times bestselling author Ron Rash illuminates lives shaped by violence and a powerful connection to the land.
Les, a long-time sheriff just three-weeks from retirement, contends with the ravages of crystal meth and his own duplicity in his small Appalachian town.
Becky, a park ranger with a harrowing past, finds solace amid the lyrical beauty of this patch of North Carolina.
Enduring the mistakes and tragedies that have indelibly marked them, they are drawn together by a reverence for the natural world. When an irascible elderly local is accused of poisoning a trout stream, Les and Becky are plunged into deep and dangerous waters, forced to navigate currents of disillusionment and betrayal that will force them to question themselves and test their tentative bond—and threaten to carry them over the edge.
Ron Rash is one of those authors whose work is known, yet not appreciated as it should be. He excels at exposing the dark and gritty parts of small town Appalachian life, yet infusing it with the genuine natural beauty surrounding it. It is genuinely magnificent, how Rash is able to create a story that seems to be individual, yet the message is universal: Man’s constant struggle with himself and the world around him.
There is not a single negative thing that can be said about this novel. Rash excels at exuding the beauty of small town life, not ignoring the dark and gritty aspects that are inherent in such an isolated, close knit town. Les is a character that all can empathize with, a man who, in attempting to retire from his life as a sheriff, must forcibly remove the bonds the town has placed upon him.
This is a novel that can be talked about for hours, for it is filled to the brim with discussion-worthy themes, most importantly the struggle we all seem to have with ourselves and others. Though set in a small Appalachian town, it could easily be transported into any other location, for the issues dealt with are universal in scope.
The prose is breathtakingly poetic, large portions beg to be read aloud, devastatingly beautiful in nature.
