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Attempting to escape his abusive father and generations of cyclical poverty, young Jonah Hargrove joins the mysterious River—a teenage girl carrying thousands of dollars in stolen meth—and embarks on a southern gothic odyssey through the East Texas river bottoms. They are pursued by local drug kingpin John Curtis and his murderous enforcer, Dakota Cade, with whom River was romantically involved. But Cade and Curtis have their own enemies, as their relationship with the cartel controlling their meth supply begins to sour. Keeping tabs on everyone is the Thin Man, a silent assassin who values consequence over mercy. Each person is keeping secrets from the others—deadly secrets that will be exposed in savage fashion as their final paths collide and all are forced to come to terms with their choices, their circumstances, and their own definition of God. With a colorful cast of supporting characters and an unflinching violence juxtaposed against lyrical prose, River, Sing Out dives deep into a sinister and sanguinary world, where oppressive poverty is pitted against the need to believe in something greater than the self.
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Summary
Summary
Longlisted for the Reading the West Book Award for Fiction
A Barnes & Noble Pick of Favorite Indie E-Books of 2021
A Deep South Magazine Pick for Summer Reading
Attempting to escape his abusive father and generations of cyclical poverty, young Jonah Hargrove joins the mysterious River—a teenage girl carrying thousands of dollars in stolen meth—and embarks on a southern gothic odyssey through the East Texas river bottoms.
They are pursued by local drug kingpin John Curtis and his murderous enforcer, Dakota Cade, with whom River was romantically involved. But Cade and Curtis have their own enemies, as their relationship with the cartel controlling their meth supply begins to sour.
Keeping tabs on everyone is the Thin Man, a silent assassin who values consequence over mercy.
Each person is keeping secrets from the others—deadly secrets that will be exposed in savage fashion as their final paths collide and all are forced to come to terms with their choices, their circumstances, and their own definition of God.
With a colorful cast of supporting characters and an unflinching violence juxtaposed against lyrical prose, River, Sing Out dives deep into a sinister and sanguinary world, where oppressive poverty is pitted against the need to believe in something greater than the self.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Reviews
Reviews
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Engrossing and compelling story with narration that compliments
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RIVER, SING OUT is a gripping and intricate story set in East Texas, where life is difficult and brutal, even to children.
This novel is chock-a-block full of characters, literarily and figuratively. Each character, without exception, is wholly developed and a clear individual, from the characters who may only been in one or two scenes, to the main characters of Jonah, River, and John Curtis. My heart went out to Jonah, who at 13 years old, is basically left to raise himself by his absent father. Jonah counting how many days of food he has left at one egg per day was pure anguish for me and my daily eggs for breakfast habit. I didn’t connect with River, to be perfectly honest. She’s making decisions and living a life I cannot begin to understand. But through Mr. Wade’s writing, I can begin to see how difficult her life has been. John Curtis is one of the most distinct characters I’ve ever read. He’s an orator, a snake-oil salesman, and an apex predator. It doesn’t pay to cross him. Or to be a trusted friend, either. His character gave me goose bumps every time he was in a scene.
Mr. Wade’s writing style is lyrical, visual, and a pleasure to read. From the mundane (a haircut for Jonah) to the extreme (River’s detox), each word is in its proper place, carefully thought out and planned. Descriptions are riveting; dialog is emotional and heart-felt. (Mr. Wade uses the word tarpaulin, instead of tarp. That’s an example of writing that I would have never even considered.)
The different plot lines flow along like smaller tributaries until they all converge into the larger river. Two scenes in the novel really stood out for me. The first is a dog fight scene and the second is a frog gigging scene. Both scenes read like Mr. Wade has had personal experience in these subjects. Or did some serious interviewing and\or research. I could hear all the dogs barking and frogs croaking in my mind while I listened to the narration. I was also squirming from the graphic details. As Bud, one of the giggers, states while his slicing up the frogs:
“Like taking his little ole pants off, ain’t it?”
I’ll spare you the pliers and other details of that quote!
Make no mistake, RIVER, SING OUT is gritty. If you are triggered by subject matters in books, this book probably has them (violence, drugs, and murder amongst the subjects here). I wouldn’t so much say I enjoyed reading this (it’s no LOL romantic comedy, that’s for sure!). But I listened attentively, anxious for the next twist of the plot, hopeful that Jonah and River get out of the messes they are in and get to see the ocean at the end of their trip.
The audio narration by Mr. Clark was captivating, sonorous, and a proper accompaniment to Mr. Wade’s writing. The character voices are distinct and easy to follow. Mr. Clark shines, though, as the narrator of the novel. (I’d listen to Mr. Clark reading the dictionary!) I’ll certainly be looking for other books he’s narrated. The production is smooth and enjoyable. There were no quality issues with the recording.
Overall, RIVER, SING OUT is engrossing and compelling, especially with Mr. Clark’s narration. The realistic characters, amazing descriptions, and absorbing dialog are worth investing the time in this novel.
Details
Details
Available Formats : | Digital Download, CD, MP3 CD, Hardcover, Paperback |
Category: | Fiction/Literary |
Runtime: | 9.18 |
Audience: | Adult |
Language: | English |
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