I was meh on this book, disengaged and disbelieving. This isn’t your ordinary coming-of-age novel, but with his bone-cutting insights into these men and the region that bred them, Joy makes it an extraordinarily intimate experience.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review “Lyrical, propulsive, dark and compelling. In a lot of ways, that made men like Daddy the lucky ones to have only ever known the darkness. I'll re-listen at some point and write up a proper review but for now all I can say is read it if you like awesomely written books about people stuck in dire circumstances whe. The book revolves around Jacob's internal battle with his destiny. "David Joy has written a savage and moving account of a young man’s attempt to transcend his family’s legacy of violence. In a place where blood is thicker than water and hope takes a back seat to fate, Jacob wonders if he can muster the strength to rise above the only life he’s ever known. His father runs a methodically organized meth ring, with local authorities on the dime to turn a blind eye to his dealings. Jacob McNeely has tried to make peace with the hand life has dealt him, his mother is an addict and his father the cruel head of a meth ring and it seems as if all he's meant to do in life is follow his fathers footsteps as an outlaw. With a mindset that would make any progressive capitalist proud, he doesn’t look at it as drugs but as sales. You won’t be able to put down this profoundly moving and illuminating look into a mysterious and intricate world where the smell of the southern pines mingles with the scent of cooking meth.”—Silas House, author of Clay’s Quilt and Eli the Good “David Joy’s Where All Light Tends to Go will be compared to a handful of grit lit masterpieces, but Joy’s his own writer. Everything works in this novel to push the reader closer and closer to the cliff’s edge, hoping against hope that what won’t be required is to jump off.". Where All Light Tends to Go: Love, Light, and Fading to Black Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy was chosen by members of On the Southern Literary Trail as the Post-1980 Group Read for May, 2015. Thinking that nothing happened, that there was absolutely nothing following all of this pain, seemed just as silly as magic. . It’s not like the demons go anywhere. International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Editor's Picks: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Discover Book Picks from the CEO of Penguin Random House US. The book revolves around Jacob's internal battle with his destiny. --Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review, "Lyrical, propulsive, dark and compelling. David Joy's powerful debut novel is one you can't put down. a harsh tale of young loves tender hopes set against the brutal realities of ruined Appalachia. You won't be able to put down this profoundly moving and illuminating look into a mysterious and intricate world where the smell of the southern pines mingles with the scent of cooking meth.”—Silas House, author of Clay's Quilt and Eli the Good, “David Joy's Where All Light Tends to Go will be compared to a handful of grit lit masterpieces, but Joy's his own writer. It was on this second reading of the hard cover edition that it dawned on me that the love story wrapped ever so tightly within this lean, tough-skinned character study is not what it seems on the surface. When I later…, With all the twisty verve of Liane Moriarty, crossed with the more acerbic political observations of Tom Perotta, comes the debut novel of Cassidy Lucas, the pen name of writing duo Julia Fierro and Caeli Wolfson Widger. I was fortunate enough to read this book before it was released into the wild, but wanted to wait until the final version hit the shelves to review it. It was the fact that he was real. Where All Light Tends to Go is an outstanding debut and a fine addition to the country noir vein of Southern Literature.”—Ron Rash, PEN/Faulkner Finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Serena “Where All Light Tends to Go is deeply rooted in place, written in an assured, authentic voice. Having dropped out of high school and cut himself off from his peers, Jacob has been working for this father for years, all on the promise that his payday will come eventually. Joy knows well the grit and gravel of his world, the soul and blemishes of the place." The result calls to mind the work of powerful writers such as Ron Rash, Daniel Woodrell, Mark Powell, and Cormac McCarthy...Joy has crafted a piece of masterful fiction. He seems fatalistic about his future - blood is thicker than water he says and no one leaves the mountain - but he struggles to find a way "out". . Set in the rural area of Cashiers, North Carolina, the protagonist is eighteen-year-old Jacob McNeely, whom we meet one night as he climbs the town's water tower to look down on the high school parking lot as his former classmates leave the building from their graduation ceremony. a harsh tale of young love’s tender hopes set against the brutal realities of ruined Appalachia. As a teenager, I learned to love reading through the Horror genre, and I knew just where to go in the stacks to find Stephen King and Anne Rice. Fans of Ron Rash’s novels will appreciate the intricate plot and Joy’s establishment of a strong sense of place in his depiction of rural Appalachia. David Joy manages to be both lyrical and gritty, loving and horrifyingly violent, funny and grim. [A] beautiful, brutal book.". . I am quite sure many others will find very little fault in this book and rate it up there with all the usual suspects. I'll remember—and be haunted by—this novel for a long, long time.”—George Singleton, author of Between Wrecks, "Remarkable . Outlawing was just as much a matter of blood as hair color and height. But Jacob’s father isn’t about to let his son slip the familial bonds so quickly, especially after the sloppy disposal of Robbie Douglas, who reappears in his busted flesh. It’s not like the demons go anywhere. Buy, Mar 03, 2015 Then when Maggie graduates and a errand his father sends him to run turns south, Jacob must figure out if there is a way out. He se. I felt for this poor guy so much. David Joy is the author of the Edgar nominated novel Where All Light Tends to Go (Putnam, 2015), as well as the novels The Weight Of This World (Putnam, 2017), The Line That Held Us (Putnam, 2018), and When These Mountains Burn (Putnam, 2020). David's debut novel, Where All Light Tends to Go, is a propulsive, "Appalachian noir" story about 18 year-old Jacob McNeely's attempts to transcend a family legacy of crime and violence.His father is a meth kingpin in a small North Carolina town. Maybe partly because I'm familiar with areas near where this story is told, but the largest part is because it's a beautifully told story even when the story is hardly beautiful, the telling of it is poetic, lyrical, lovely even when you least expect it. Jacob McNeely’s father runs a methodically organized meth ring, with local authorities on the dime to turn a blind eye to his dealings. I'll re-listen at some point and write up a proper review but for now all I can say is read it if you like awesomely written books about people stuck in dire circumstances where a happy ending is the longest of long shots possible. ", "Joy’s first novel is an uncompromising noir, its downward thrust pulling like quicksand on both the characters and the reader. His picture of modern Appalachia is rich and evocative, with bold storytelling not often seen in a first novel. After dropping out of high school and breaking up with the love of his life Maggie it seems like he's gotten himself entrenched where he is.