Serena by Ron Rash

A terrific book! Better than most books I have read in a long while.

It centers on Serena and George Pemberton, who own a lumber company that is logging land in North Carolina in 1929. George begins this venture alone, but soon fathers a child with sixteen year old Rachel Harmon, a kitchen worker in the camp. He then goes to Boston, where he meets Serena and brings her back as his wife and business partner.

The book begins with a quick jolt, as the first paragraph depicts Serena and George stepping off the train from Boston, with Rachel's father waiting to stick a knife in George's heart. George kills him, and thus sets off the brutal events to follow.

Serena proves herself astute and powerful, to the point of myth among the camp's workers. She quickly assumes responsibility for the company's operations, aspiring to eventually leave North Carolina and begin logging in Brazil. She commands absolute loyalty and wants the lumber company to be hers and George's alone. Serena kills, pays off, or pushes out anyone who gets in her way or inconveniences her.

Eventually, this means killing Rachel and her son Jacob. George, however, feels a connection to his child, and when Serena suspects him of helping them escape, her viciousness comes to fruition.

Set against the backdrop of the Depression, the book is not only about survivial and the growing tension between Serena and George, but also the utter ruthlessness of Serena. Her unabashed greed contrasts with the workers doing the logging, a colorful cast that Rash seamlessly interweaves into the story. They are poor and need the work to live, whereas the Pemberons live in opulence. In addition, the book also serves as an ode to environmentalism and a warning against consequences of nature's destruction. It shows that living in the now without planning for the future is unwise at best.

The book is written beautifully and with simple clarity. It combines the brutality and lawlessness of Cormac McCarthy with the down-home yarns and rustic splendor of William Faulkner.

I had never heard of this author or this book, but, gratefully, Ben lent this book to me. He got it as a member of the Signed First Editions Club of the Alabama Booksmith.

Indeed, Rash is not terribly well-known, as the New York Times review of the book indicates that the "fine-tuned voice of this Appalachian poet and storyteller... has been largely regional despite an O. Henry Prize and other honors." The review goes on to describe the book as "With bone-chilling aplomb, linguistic grace and the piercing fatalism of an Appalachian ballad."

A definite recommendation!