Where All Light Tends to Go

January 5, 2015
North Carolina memoirist Joy (Growing Gills) sets his gripping first novel in his native Appalachia. Jacob McNeely, the 18-year-old son of a meth-addicted mother and a sociopathic father who operates a drug ring, has always believed he can’t transcend his roots. But when his childhood sweetheart, Maggie Jennings, graduates from high school, she asks him to leave the mountains with her, and he begins to envision a life free of his family legacy. Threats to his father’s business provoke violence, however, ensnaring Jacob in murder and betrayal even as he plans his escape. Despite his recreational drug use and propensity for violence, he has a capacity for selfless love that will keep readers invested in his struggle. Some Appalachian clichés and repetitive descriptions don’t detract from the tragic, absorbing plot. Engaging characters, a well-realized setting, and poetic prose establish Joy as a novelist worth watching. Agent: Julia Kenny, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.

Narrator MacLeod Andrews's mild Southern accent and youthful tone are a perfect match for the 18-year-old protagonist of this dark, violent audiobook. Jacob McNeely feels trapped in his Appalachian hometown, where his father reigns as the local meth king. Jacob's only solace is in helping his ex-girlfriend escape the hardscrabble life there, no matter the cost to his own future. Andrews's performance keys into the rhythm and emotions of the story, especially the disenchanted mood of Jacob's inner observations of his family and community. As the boy becomes more entangled in the horrific underbelly of his father's world, however, Andrews increases the tension, bringing Jacob's anger and frustration to the forefront. Listeners are in for a riveting and surprising journey. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine