Friday, May 22, 2009

Ron Rash - One Foot in Eden

After Freddy's review of "Serena," I went looking for Ron Rash. Before finding "Serena" at the Alabama Booksmith, I bought and now have read "One Foot in Eden."

I can say for real that Ron Rash is the real deal. He is the next great Southern writer. He writes of the Carolinas, his South, but it's so similiar to my South, Alabama.

I will not regurgitate the plot except to say that it revolves around the murder of a man named Holland Winchester. The implications of this event against the backdrop of a changing landscape and way of life for country folks (the power company is clearing their land) work their way to inevitable conclusions.

I wish that certain people did not have to die at the end, but this is the prerogerative of the author. I like Rash's writing because it's taut and directed without undue embellishment. In other words, I like his laconic style.

Now I've started "Serena." It's early, but I can say that this book is chilling.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well, I will have to read this book now. I agree with your assessment of Rash's writing style. He doesn't overdramatize anything; he simply tells it like it is.