Let me say unequivocally that this is a BRILLIANT novel. The author combines a compelling narrative with the historical flavor of the 1930's---the depression, Applachia, cutting timber from virgin land in the face of the beginning of the national forest system, greed, etc. One thing I should mention is the way Rash uses the locals, the poor people who put their lives on the line every day, to advance the narrative. This is quite effective.
One thing I wish is that I had not read the dusk jacket! Otherwise, I would not have guessed what was going to happen when Pemberton and Galloway went hunting at the end. But I knew what was coming because I was prepped beforehand. Bad!
The Coda is perfect! George does die; it is JACOB who gets the ultimate revenge at the end. Right?
Serena. Bad, bad, Serena. Ultimately this is a character study. Is she a sociopath? What is the appropriate word other than evil?
2 comments:
I agree the dusk jacket reveals too much. I think it not only gives away too much of the ending, but also gives away too much of the plot of the novel as a whole.
Thank you for your interpretation of the Coda. I did not even think of it being Jacob. I like your take much better. You have redeemed the novel for me.
I wouldn't call Serena a sociopath. That connotes, for me, too much irrationality. I think she is cold blooded and greedy. I wonder what in her past, which she speaks so little of, make her who she is.
That's a good point about her past. I wonder the same thing. All we know is Colorado and nightmares. If not a sociopath, she is at least as cold-blooded as any literary character I can recall.
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