Saints at the River: A Novel - Softcover

Rash, Ron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312424914 ISBN 13: 9780312424916

Publisher: Picador, 2005

Synopsis

From award-winning author of The Caretaker Ron Rash (“One of the great American authors at work today” ―The New York Times) comes Saints at the River, a novel about a town divided by the aftermath of a tragic accident―and the woman caught in the middle.

When a twelve-year-old girl drowns in the Tamassee River and her body is trapped in a deep eddy, the people of the small South Carolina town that bears the river's name are thrown into the national spotlight. The girl's parents want to attempt a rescue of the body; environmentalists are convinced the rescue operation will cause permanent damage to the river and set a dangerous precedent. Torn between the two sides is Maggie Glenn, a twenty-eight-year-old newspaper photographer who grew up in the town and has been sent to document the incident. Since leaving home almost ten years ago, Maggie has done her best to avoid her father, but now, as the town's conflict opens old wounds, she finds herself revisiting the past she's fought so hard to leave behind. Meanwhile, the reporter who's accompanied her to cover the story turns out to have a painful past of his own, and one that might stand in the way of their romance.

Drawing on the same lyrical prose and strong sense of place that distinguished his award-winning first novel, One Foot in Eden, Ron Rash has written a book about the deepest human themes: the love of the land, the hold of the dead on the living, and the need to dive beneath the surface to arrive at a deeper truth. Saints at the River confirms the arrival of one of today's most gifted storytellers.

About this title

About the Author

Ron Rash is the author of the prize-winning novels One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River and The World Made Straight, as well as several collections of poetry and short stories. He is the recipient of an O. Henry Prize and the James Still Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. For Saints at the River he received the 2004 Weatherford Award for Best Novel and the 2005 SEBA Best Book Award for Fiction. Rash holds the John Parris Chair in Appalachian Studies at Western Carolina University and lives in Clemson, South Carolina.

From the Back Cover

The Southern Bestseller
"A compelling novel...Rash tells his story with subtlety and with the best kind of empathy."--The Wall Street Journal

When a twelve-year-old girl drowns in the Tamassee River and her body is trapped in a deep eddy, the people of the small South Carolina town that bears the river's name are thrown into the national spotlight. The girl's parents want to attempt a rescue of the body; environmentalists are convinced the rescue operation will cause permanent damage to the river and set a dangerous precedent. Torn between the two sides is Maggie Glenn, a twenty-eight-year-old newspaper photographer who grew up in the town and has been sent to document the incident. Since leaving home almost ten years ago, Maggie has done her best to avoid her father, but now, as the town's conflict opens old wounds, she finds herself revisiting the past she's fought so hard to leave behind.

"Captivating...Rash's clear, concise prose and regional voice add an authentic veneer to this rich tableau of Southern life."---Entertainment Weekly

"Ron Rash writes like a prince."---Pat Conroy

"Rash's clean prose and love for the land easily carry this book to its conclusion, providing readers with a powerful ending that is both surprising and well earned."---The Charlotte Observer

"Shows [Rash's] versatility and chutzpah...Rash's prose...has a peculiar headlong drive akin to that of hard-boiled detective novels---the best sort."---The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Maggie is an ideal observer from the center for things. Her knowing voice carries us through this sad, complex, and beautiful story."---Time Out (New York)

Ron Rash has published one previous novel, One Foot in Eden, three collections of poetry and two of short stories. He is the recipient of an NEA poetry grant and holds the John Parris Chair in Appalachian Studies at Western Carolina University. Rash lives in Clemson, South Carolina.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Saints at the River

By Ron Rash

Picador USA

Copyright ©2005 Ron Rash
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780312424916
From Saints at the River:
Listening to Ben, you would have thought he'd gone through childhood with nothing worse happening to him than a stubbed toe. Someone who didn't know him well would say he was merely in denial, but I did know Ben well, and I knew the life he'd made for himself as a man. The early history of his life was like history written in chalk on a blackboard-something he could smudge and then erase through sheer good-heartedness.
But I wasn't like my brother. I couldn't let things go. I didn't even want to. Forgetting, like forgiving, only blurred things. Even Ben, for all his nostalgia, had put the whole width of the United States between him and South Carolina.




Continues...

Excerpted from Saints at the Riverby Ron Rash Copyright ©2005 by Ron Rash. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312424914
• ISBN 13: 9780312424916
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 239