Ok, so I've probably just offended Dickens or Hemingway purists with my post title play on words, but A Land More Kind Than Home is good! Nay…great. I was very impressed with Wiley Cash's ability to lend such genuine voice to several different narrators, and the setting/character descriptions were so provocative, they stayed with me when I was not reading (this distraction made work slightly harder, but oh the trial and tribulations of life).
Enough of my blabbing, why don't you let more impressive people tell you what they think….
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Library Journal's Barbara Hoffert mentioned it in her Pre-Pub Alert:
"Growing up in insular Marshall, NC, bright, inquisitive Jess Hall watches out for his older autistic brother, Stump. But Jess can’t protect Stump when he sees something he shouldn’t, which has shattering implications for both boys, forcing them to grow up very quickly. This town is not as bucolic as it seems, and with Jess, town conscience Adelaide, and troubled sheriff Clem Barefield as our narrators, we learn a lot about the nature of evil. Nice in-house enthusiasm for this first novel, but what really sold me was the comparison to works by John Hart, Ron Rash, and Tom Franklin—an unbeatable trio of darkly thoughtful writers."
“This novel has great cumulative power. Before I knew it I was grabbed by the ankle and pulled down into a full-blown Greek tragedy.” —Gail Godwin, author of Evensong
“This book will knock your socks off… Cash has a beautifully written hit on his hands.” —Clyde Edgerton
“Beautiful… The narrative is strong, clean, direct and economical…I think this could be the beginning of a long, fruitful career.” —Ernest J. Gaines, author of A Lesson Before Dying
“A riveting story! The writing is bold, daring, graceful, and engrossing.” —Bobbie Ann Mason, author of The Girl in the Blue Beret
“This is one of the most powerful novels I have ever read.” —Fred Chappell, author of Brighten the Corner Where You Are
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Yes, yes it is just that awesome.
– Annie