Young
Jess Hall has been punished for spying on adults, but that doesn’t keep him
from peeking into the River Road Church of Christ in Signs Following. Inside
people are heady with the spirit and the piano and drum music shakes the building.
But
it’s Jess’s mute brother that draws his attention, along with his mother who is
not happy with the direction the service is taking. What Jess sees through the
secretive church’s backboards and does will change many lives in the small
mountain town outside of Asheville, North Carolina.
The
incident surrounding two brothers provides the riveting backbone of Wiley
Cash’s debut novel, “A Land More Kind Than Home.” We slowly learn of the
mysterious church, its work with snakes by its charismatic preacher with a
shady past and the incident that disrupts the town. More importantly, the book
weaves in and out of the character’s back stories, showing us the reasons for
their intense religious pursuit, their instinctual desire for violence and one
woman’s ability to delineate between a calling to God and the work of evil and
her attempts to protect the town’s children.
The
book’s narrative of the three town characters is gripping and intimate; by the
end of the story they become family. The suspenseful plotline keeps readers
guessing, with all stories interconnecting to a dramatic finish that feels as
if we’re standing on Jess’s porch, watching his innocence disappear.
Cash
hails from North Carolina and now teaches English at Bethany College in West Virginia,
but he received his Ph.D. at UL-Lafayette.
Let’s
hope more is coming of this fresh new voice in fiction. As Ernest Gaines quotes
on the back, “I think this could be the beginning of a long, fruitful career.”
Cocktails tales
James
Teitelbaum examines craft cocktails, libations made with care and expertise
akin to gourmet food in “The Traveler’s Guide to Superior Libations.”
The
author details several hundred destinations both within the United States and
aboard, including New Orleans (of course!), looking at atmosphere, pretension,
slow cocktails and craft distilleries, including eco-friendly companies and
those who support local farmers. He also discusses bartenders and their role in
the process, incorporating quality ingredients, “a baseline knowledge of
mixology” and the addition of cuisine, among other subjects.
In
his section on New Orleans, Teitelbaum gives nods to original Crescent City
drinks Ramos Gin Fizz, Brandy Crusta and the Sazerac, also noting how others
have an association with the city. Establishments include Arnaud’s, Cure and
the Museum of the American Cocktail, to name a few.
It’s
a comprehensive guide for world travelers, as well as those wishing to learn
more about the art of the cocktails. The book includes a handy index of bars as
well as a lovely list of cocktail recipes Teitelbaum learned from his travels.
Appropriately,
Teitelbaum will be signing copies of his book at the Tales of the Cocktail from
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday in the lobby of the Monteleone Hotel. For information
on New Orleans’ annual celebration of the cocktail, visit www.talesofthecocktail.com.
Slam support
The
Lafayette National Poetry Slam Team is headed to Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 6
through 12 for the 23rd annual National Poetry Slam Festival. To help them get
to the national event they are asking for financial support. Donations
will be accepted at the Pay Pal link on the home page of www.spokeninnovation.com (the
official website of the Lafayette National Poetry Slam Team).
Cheré Coen is the author
of “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of
“Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” She
teaches writing at UL-Lafayette’s Continuing Education. Write her at
chere@louisianabooknews.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment