Warm and moving exploration of Appalachian life!

Clay grew up in the tiny mountain town of Free Creek, KY, working in the mines and avoiding the Pentecostal church, despite his aunt’s fervent exhortations. When he was little, his mother was killed by an angry ex-lover and the town rallied around to raise him. He’s never really dealt with that fateful day but when he falls in love with a married woman, everything is brought to back to the surface.

Clay is a thoroughly decent character and the people in his life love him dearly. I saw Clay’s quilt as a metaphor for his local community, that patchwork of people who love, cherish, and look out for him—something provided to him rather than something he creates himself—but Clay also joins that patchwork himself, extending his care to others around him. However, despite the supportive warmth the town wraps Clay up in, author Silas House avoids being overly sentimental. He paints Free Creek as a violent place where women are fearful of flawed, possessive men, where guns are used to settle differences, often fatally, and religion can bring comfort and purpose, or cold isolation and judgement. Everything goes into the mix of that rich interconnected tapestry of life that leaves the characters bruised at times, but not beaten. 🎧 The late US actor Tom Stechschulte provides the perfect audio narration, he truly connects us to the people in this Appalachian town.

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