What do you think?
Rate this book
La mort sur ses épaules
A Lynch, en Virginie occidentale, les gens qui n'ont pas déserté la petite ville vivent dans la pauvreté, voire le dénuement. Il y a peu d'emplois et toute la communauté est sous la coupe de Ferris Gilbert, le cruel patriarche d'une famille de criminels, qui fait régner la terreur.
Lorsque Jason Felts, travailleur social qui a la particularité d'être nain, est chargé d'assister l'un des frères Gilbert, détenu à la maison de redressement pour possession de stupéfiants, Ferris y voit l'occasion de faire passer en fraude un dangereux colis à son jeune frère. Ferris Gilbert menace aussi Terry Blankenship, un jeune homme pauvre qui a fui la maison familiale pour vivre dans les bois avec le garçon dont il est amoureux.
Lorsque Jason Felts, travailleur social qui a la particularité d'être nain, est chargé d'assister l'un des frères Gilbert, détenu à la maison de redressement pour possession de stupéfiants, Ferris y voit l'occasion de faire passer en fraude un dangereux colis à son jeune frère. Ferris Gilbert menace aussi Terry Blankenship, un jeune homme pauvre qui a fui la maison familiale pour vivre dans les bois avec le garçon dont il est amoureux.
320 pages, Pocket Book
First published November 6, 2018
15 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 18, 2021
Real Rating: 3.5* of five
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM SKYHORSE PUBLISHING VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
Terry Blankenship is a stand-in for all the boys who grow up queer in homophobic places. He has a dead mother, a drunken abusive father, and a drug habit he steals to support. He's a complete dead-ender, and he knows it; he's not even trying to run anywhere except up into the hills where an abandoned hunting cabin hides him and his eighteen-year-old boyfriend, stoner Davey. Old Man Felts, once the town undertaker, gives Terry, in cash, about half what he's really earned at the end of every day that they try to fix up a badly decayed old house in Lynch, WV, where there's no opportunity and no hope:
So there he is; the way out closed to the likes of Terry a long time ago. He still has Davey, who was the proximate cause of Terry's dad throwing him out of the house after walking in on them, and Davey wants bright lights, big city, maybe Charleston, or Lexington? They need money, so they decide to enter Terry's dog in a dogfight.
This does not, I realize you'll be stunned to learn, go well.
What happens is, the two fools end up owing the local big baddie fifteen hundred dollars. This might as well be a million to these folks. There's no way they can pay it back, so the big baddie (after some murderous threats) tells dear, dim Terry he can work it off: Kill the local sheriff. Here's the gun. Go!
And we're off! Terry escapes the consequences of his crime by going to juvenile prison; there he meets Jason Felts, the sadly crippled (one assumes by in utero exposure to teratogenic substances in the embalming room) nephew of the ex-undertaker and a psychologist at the facility; the big baddie's baby brother; and his doom. Not that Jason doesn't do his goddamnedest to keep Terry from losing his short struggle for life. He does, because his own dreadful disability makes life in this horribly dying corpse-factory of a town such a struggle that he empathizes with its no-hopers.
What Terry cares about, in his time inside juvenile prison, is the dog he used and abandoned. He begs the facility doctor (cold and calloused by the endless parade of the state's wasted youth):
Then he begs Jason, all he wants is for Jason to deliver a letter to Davey, alone in their shared squat at the abandoned cabin, not knowing where Terry was, probably worried sick:
It's completely heartbreaking to me to read books like this, full of the desperation of tiny lives lived in the sweaty asscrack of capitalism, places abandoned because the profit's gone and why should the shareholders pay for crappy, useless people to exist? There's money at stake, fuck their health, their lives, their futures!
This is the burden of the refrain that ran through my head, a grinding sound as the people of Lynch watch the armored cars take the money as the scum run. It's the same the world over, of course; Jordan Farmer has stories to his credit in The Southwest Review, for one example, that explore these same conditions. Like Donald Ray Pollock, he's writing what he knows, or I miss my guess. He's an able talespinner, and he's an above-average writer. His subject is territory he can honestly say is in need of bards. That not one person gets out of this jail free is not his fault, it's simply the truth of the people in the place he writes about.
As the body count mounts, as the damage to the world the small people in here care about grows catastrophic, Jason Felts stands for the Right and the Good. He's lacking in inches, he's been badly served in body by Life, but he does the jobs that no one else wants to do. He ends one long nightmare. It doesn't cost him his life, just his spirit: Rooted forever in Lynch, he's doomed to find his one happy moment far, far away.
It is exactly the right ending.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM SKYHORSE PUBLISHING VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
Terry Blankenship is a stand-in for all the boys who grow up queer in homophobic places. He has a dead mother, a drunken abusive father, and a drug habit he steals to support. He's a complete dead-ender, and he knows it; he's not even trying to run anywhere except up into the hills where an abandoned hunting cabin hides him and his eighteen-year-old boyfriend, stoner Davey. Old Man Felts, once the town undertaker, gives Terry, in cash, about half what he's really earned at the end of every day that they try to fix up a badly decayed old house in Lynch, WV, where there's no opportunity and no hope:
Even at sixteen, Terry was no stranger to labor and didn't mind the work, but this place felt like a lost cause to him.
–and–
Staying closeted created a certain pain, but it was still an option in a place where being yourself meant risking your life.
So there he is; the way out closed to the likes of Terry a long time ago. He still has Davey, who was the proximate cause of Terry's dad throwing him out of the house after walking in on them, and Davey wants bright lights, big city, maybe Charleston, or Lexington? They need money, so they decide to enter Terry's dog in a dogfight.
This does not, I realize you'll be stunned to learn, go well.
What happens is, the two fools end up owing the local big baddie fifteen hundred dollars. This might as well be a million to these folks. There's no way they can pay it back, so the big baddie (after some murderous threats) tells dear, dim Terry he can work it off: Kill the local sheriff. Here's the gun. Go!
And we're off! Terry escapes the consequences of his crime by going to juvenile prison; there he meets Jason Felts, the sadly crippled (one assumes by in utero exposure to teratogenic substances in the embalming room) nephew of the ex-undertaker and a psychologist at the facility; the big baddie's baby brother; and his doom. Not that Jason doesn't do his goddamnedest to keep Terry from losing his short struggle for life. He does, because his own dreadful disability makes life in this horribly dying corpse-factory of a town such a struggle that he empathizes with its no-hopers.
What Terry cares about, in his time inside juvenile prison, is the dog he used and abandoned. He begs the facility doctor (cold and calloused by the endless parade of the state's wasted youth):
"I need somebody to go by the house and see about my dog," Terry said.
"Not my concern," the doctor said and adjusted his stethoscope.
Then he begs Jason, all he wants is for Jason to deliver a letter to Davey, alone in their shared squat at the abandoned cabin, not knowing where Terry was, probably worried sick:
{Jason} kept thinking about {Terry's} small handwriting, the elegant loop in the cursive P of please. It was capitalized, a single word followed by the dark blot of a period. Words were such fragile, imprecise things, but that please explained everything.
It's completely heartbreaking to me to read books like this, full of the desperation of tiny lives lived in the sweaty asscrack of capitalism, places abandoned because the profit's gone and why should the shareholders pay for crappy, useless people to exist? There's money at stake, fuck their health, their lives, their futures!
This is the burden of the refrain that ran through my head, a grinding sound as the people of Lynch watch the armored cars take the money as the scum run. It's the same the world over, of course; Jordan Farmer has stories to his credit in The Southwest Review, for one example, that explore these same conditions. Like Donald Ray Pollock, he's writing what he knows, or I miss my guess. He's an able talespinner, and he's an above-average writer. His subject is territory he can honestly say is in need of bards. That not one person gets out of this jail free is not his fault, it's simply the truth of the people in the place he writes about.
As the body count mounts, as the damage to the world the small people in here care about grows catastrophic, Jason Felts stands for the Right and the Good. He's lacking in inches, he's been badly served in body by Life, but he does the jobs that no one else wants to do. He ends one long nightmare. It doesn't cost him his life, just his spirit: Rooted forever in Lynch, he's doomed to find his one happy moment far, far away.
It is exactly the right ending.
October 3, 2021
Jordan Farmer’s “The Pallbearer” is a powerful Appalachian noir that deserves far more attention than it seems to have gotten. Set in Lynch, West Virginia, an old mining area forgotten by the world whose economic well-being now seems much more tied to OxyContin and decrepit strip bars than anything else. There are woods here, but few jobs. Time has stopped. But, as is so often the case, it might as well be a prison with barbed wire, because those in its net can’t ever seem to get out.
Farmer tells a tale of some of those stuck and how things worked out for them. There’s the dwarf who works as a counselor for the local youth authority facility. People need to squint to seem him as something other than an oddity, at least till he meets Sharon, whose married to a prison guard who fancies himself as Sir Lancelot or some other gladiator. Huddles is caught in his brother’s world, his brother who runs the damn town from the back office of a strip club and has everyone in his pocket. The third member of the trio of characters is Terry, a gay drug-addicted teenager living in the woods after being thrown out of house, who can never seem to get enough cabbage to head out of town. All three will cross paths, and perhaps try to do something decent, but, as these things go, they are chained to the town and can’t ever escape.
The Pallbearer is a tough-nosed tale about those on the wrong side of town, life behind detention center bars, and lives where choices seem to disappear like sand slipping through your fingers. Beautifully written, evocative, deep, with real flesh-out characters, a standout novel.
Farmer tells a tale of some of those stuck and how things worked out for them. There’s the dwarf who works as a counselor for the local youth authority facility. People need to squint to seem him as something other than an oddity, at least till he meets Sharon, whose married to a prison guard who fancies himself as Sir Lancelot or some other gladiator. Huddles is caught in his brother’s world, his brother who runs the damn town from the back office of a strip club and has everyone in his pocket. The third member of the trio of characters is Terry, a gay drug-addicted teenager living in the woods after being thrown out of house, who can never seem to get enough cabbage to head out of town. All three will cross paths, and perhaps try to do something decent, but, as these things go, they are chained to the town and can’t ever escape.
The Pallbearer is a tough-nosed tale about those on the wrong side of town, life behind detention center bars, and lives where choices seem to disappear like sand slipping through your fingers. Beautifully written, evocative, deep, with real flesh-out characters, a standout novel.
March 12, 2020
CW: addiction, animal cruelty, homophobia, physical altercations and self-harm
He kept thinking about the small handwriting, the elegant loop in the cursive P of please. It was capitalized, a single word followed by the dark blot of a period. Words were such fragile, imprecise things, but that please explained everything.
Based solely on the premise, I thought this story could go either way.. but I'm happy to report that not only is Pallbearer one of my new favourite English words, Jordan Farmer's novel exceeded all expectations I had as well. Seriously, what a debut!
The fictional Appalachian town of Lynch, West Virginia shares its fate with a lot of other places in the Coal Country of the United States of America: Many mines have already shut down and it's forseeable that it won't take long until the last one closes its doors, leaving behind even more empty storefronts and people without any job opportunities in the midst of the opioid epidemic. The streets are framed by collapsing houses, and the ones still inhabited get robbed by addicts searching for pills or money (for pills).
Terry Blankenship is one of them. But he also tries to save some money for his dream to leave the rundown hunting cabin he lives in, to start a new life with his boyfriend in a city where they don't have to hide anymore. Unfortunately after a case of bad judgment he owes some money to Ferris Gilbert, the patriarch of a local family who is involved in pretty much all the crime activity in town. Terry has to come up with the money, kill the local sheriff instead or face the consequences himself. At the same time Gilbert pays a visit to Jason Felts, a social worker who counsels the teenage boys at The Shell, the local youth correctional facility. He tries to threaten him into smuggeling an ominous package into the jail and delivering it to his brother Huddles who is incarcerated for possesion charges.
Both Terry and Felts must make life-altering decisions. One is desperate to get out of town with a clean slate and the other one is strictly speaking dedicated to save young inmates from a life behind bars.. Do they comply with Gilbert's threats and implicate themselves in serious crimes or are they able to find other ways out of the dilemmas they're in?
The story is carried by well fleshed out characters that felt rich and three-dimensional, including the town of Lynch, West Virginia. Jordan Farmer's engaging writing shows he clearly knows the region of Appalachia. I could picture the mountains, woods and gravelly backroads without having ever been there myself.
The character of Jason Felts is also a testimony to physically disabled authors writing about characters who have physical disabilities. More often than not conditions like that are used as a gimmick to make a character or plot more interesting or special, which is never the case regarding dwarfism in this book - Felts' insightful narrative depicts his experience from childhood to adulthood, but it also goes way beyond that. The same goes for Terry Blankenship's sexuality, by the way.
Another aspect of Jordan Farmer's writing I enjoyed was, that he showed the limitations of his characters' knowledge without making them dumb. At one point Terry walks into a strip club where a woman is dancing at a pole. He doesn't recall the term of the thing she has on, so he describes it as a tight clenched satin cover over her waist he had seen noblewomen wearing in old movies. It's just really clever not to include the word Corset, simply because it isn't part of Terry's day-to-day vocabulary.
Right after I finished this book I wasn't quite sure about the epilogue because of its sudden cut. After a reread of the ending and thinking about it for a couple of days, I wouldn't want to change a thing. The cut isn't even that sudden. It's an epilogue and they usually don't pick up the story right where it ended in the last chapter, but because I sped through it the first time around, barely taking a break (I just couldn't put it down!), it appeared to be rather abrupt.
I like that the ending isn't neatly (or happily) wrapped up for all the characters, but it concludes realistically and felt true to the overall story.
Jordan Farmer is definitely an author I will keep an eye out for and I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a character-driven story about (im)moral decisions and contemporary issues such as the poverty-stricken towns in Coal Country, the opioid epidemic, discrimination against the LGBT+ community and youth incarceration.
Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. The quotes are taken from an uncorrected Bound Galley and may be edited before publication.
September 21, 2018
I'll be honest with you all: I chose to read The Pallbearer simply because I really liked the cover and because it is set in Appalachia.
I was a little worried going in that the protagonist Jason Felts' dwarfism would be used as a gimmick in the story, as would Terry's homosexuality, but I am quite pleased to have been wrong on both fronts.
Too often, authors emphasize a character's disability so much that the character basically becomes that disability. In this instance, Felts is written as a complex, troubled man who longs for happiness and satisfaction for himself, and wishes to make a positive impact on the boys he counsels--Oh, and he's a dwarf.
The Pallbearer is a novel of place and circumstance, and that is masterfully demonstrated through the eyes of Huddles Gilbert and Terry Blankenship, both of whom are locked up in the Shell, the youth detention center at which Felts is a counselor.
They both are caught in desperate situations and are forced to make decisions and take actions that they really don't want to take, but there are not an abundance of choices for boys like them in their failing town.
This a dark story full of stark realities. The Pallbearer will break your heart, give you a little hope, and then break it again.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The expected date of publication is November 6, 2018.
I was a little worried going in that the protagonist Jason Felts' dwarfism would be used as a gimmick in the story, as would Terry's homosexuality, but I am quite pleased to have been wrong on both fronts.
Too often, authors emphasize a character's disability so much that the character basically becomes that disability. In this instance, Felts is written as a complex, troubled man who longs for happiness and satisfaction for himself, and wishes to make a positive impact on the boys he counsels--Oh, and he's a dwarf.
The Pallbearer is a novel of place and circumstance, and that is masterfully demonstrated through the eyes of Huddles Gilbert and Terry Blankenship, both of whom are locked up in the Shell, the youth detention center at which Felts is a counselor.
They both are caught in desperate situations and are forced to make decisions and take actions that they really don't want to take, but there are not an abundance of choices for boys like them in their failing town.
This a dark story full of stark realities. The Pallbearer will break your heart, give you a little hope, and then break it again.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The expected date of publication is November 6, 2018.
November 3, 2018
*** 4 Stars***
The Pallbearer by Jordan Farmer was a great read that I highly recommend. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't wait find out how everything would play out. I loved the character development and how all the character's stories intertwined. The Gilbert family runs this small town and one of the brothers ends up in jail for a crime. The main Gilbert, Ferris, goes to extreme circumstances to help his brother, including blackmailing and murder. I don't want to give away any details because the story really is great and the less you know going in the better the thrill. I really enjoyed Jordan Farmer's writing style and found this to be an excellent debut novel.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse publishing for allowing me an advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Pallbearer by Jordan Farmer was a great read that I highly recommend. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't wait find out how everything would play out. I loved the character development and how all the character's stories intertwined. The Gilbert family runs this small town and one of the brothers ends up in jail for a crime. The main Gilbert, Ferris, goes to extreme circumstances to help his brother, including blackmailing and murder. I don't want to give away any details because the story really is great and the less you know going in the better the thrill. I really enjoyed Jordan Farmer's writing style and found this to be an excellent debut novel.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse publishing for allowing me an advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2019
3.5, rounded down.
I first became aware of this through a Lambda Literary blurb, and am somewhat disappointed that the gay content is really incidental and doesn't figure more prominently - although the innovation of the titular character being a dwarf somewhat mitigated against that. Aside from that, Farmer's debut displays real talent and grit, but it took an abysmally long time for the book to really take off for me, and there were far too many languid passages. I also found it difficult to keep the peripheral characters straight and the ending is a mite disappointing, so all that - plus the fact this is one of the worst jobs of copyediting I've encountered recently - rounds this down to a 3 star.
I first became aware of this through a Lambda Literary blurb, and am somewhat disappointed that the gay content is really incidental and doesn't figure more prominently - although the innovation of the titular character being a dwarf somewhat mitigated against that. Aside from that, Farmer's debut displays real talent and grit, but it took an abysmally long time for the book to really take off for me, and there were far too many languid passages. I also found it difficult to keep the peripheral characters straight and the ending is a mite disappointing, so all that - plus the fact this is one of the worst jobs of copyediting I've encountered recently - rounds this down to a 3 star.
November 16, 2018
This debut is a hard book, gritty and unforgiving. The main character grew up in a funeral home, carrying coffins of those who lacked relatives to do the task, and has spent his adult life working in his community attempting to carry lost souls out of misery. Handicapped physically, his spirit is indomitable. Depressing and uplifting, this portrayal of a community locked up by criminal elements, strikes home the reality of 21st century life on the edge of an economically divided country. Farmer is a writer worth watching!
October 31, 2018
I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this as much as I did. The writing was beautifully done, descriptive and yet not dragging. The characters were the most imperfect people, in the best way possible. I loved how every character had a flaw and had a strength.
Will definitely be recommending! I love it!
Will definitely be recommending! I love it!
December 28, 2018
A decaying small town in West Virginia is the setting for the debut novel by Jordan Farmer. "The Pallbearer" holds no punches at it depicts the sadness and desperation for a group of folks whenever they've known is dead or dying.
Jason Felts, a dwarf and prison social worker, has felt society's sting all his life, even when he was called upon as a teen to be a fill-in pallbearer at his family's once-prosperous funeral home. Now, as an adult, he's assigned to help Huddles, the teen-age brother of the town's version of a mob boss. Ferris Gilbert runs illegal liquor, guns and drugs, money-washing strip clubs and just everyone who crosses his path. That includes Jason, who he strangle-holds into smuggling a package to Huddles.
Also under Gilbert's control is Terry, a young man strung out on meth and trying to hide his sexuality. He ends up in prison with Huddles after murdering the sheriff at Gilbert's order. Terry, Huddles and Terry find themselves trying to survive in a violent, desperate environment. But in the desolate, yet beautiful Appalachian mountains, there are few places to hide.
Abandonment, desperation and few choices for redemption are powerful messages throughout Farmer's novel. "Gritty" doesn't come close to describing what lies between these pages. It's dark, yet powerful writing that sets the bar high for the author's future works.
ARC provided by NetGalley
Jason Felts, a dwarf and prison social worker, has felt society's sting all his life, even when he was called upon as a teen to be a fill-in pallbearer at his family's once-prosperous funeral home. Now, as an adult, he's assigned to help Huddles, the teen-age brother of the town's version of a mob boss. Ferris Gilbert runs illegal liquor, guns and drugs, money-washing strip clubs and just everyone who crosses his path. That includes Jason, who he strangle-holds into smuggling a package to Huddles.
Also under Gilbert's control is Terry, a young man strung out on meth and trying to hide his sexuality. He ends up in prison with Huddles after murdering the sheriff at Gilbert's order. Terry, Huddles and Terry find themselves trying to survive in a violent, desperate environment. But in the desolate, yet beautiful Appalachian mountains, there are few places to hide.
Abandonment, desperation and few choices for redemption are powerful messages throughout Farmer's novel. "Gritty" doesn't come close to describing what lies between these pages. It's dark, yet powerful writing that sets the bar high for the author's future works.
ARC provided by NetGalley
November 14, 2018
"The Pallbearer" is the story of a poor small town, Lynch, West Virginia, and the crime and corruption that happens in many of these towns throughout America. Practically ran by the Gilbert Family, they think that they can get away with anything, including drugs dealing, assault, and murder. Who is going to stop them when they are above the law?
Jason Felts, a dwarf and social worker, who grew up above the funeral home and was a stand in pallbearer when needed, gets tangled into the web of the Gilberts when the youngest brother gets arrested and he tries to help him get out his situation. What ensues is a novel filled with characters that are difficult to stomach doing things that makes the story become darker and darker.
I am okay with this novel, and I would recommend it if someone is asking for recommendations for a novel that is well written, filled with crime, politically incorrect opinions, and bad decisions. I can not recommend this for everyone. Most of the characters are men filled with rage and desperation, trying to either control the situation or get out from under control of the situation, and some of this could be due to regional and/or economic attitude, but as a whole, it really is pleasing to a specific audience. The writing is skillful, and Jordan Farmer writes a good novel, but the story itself leaves something to be desired. I look forward to more works by Farmer.
I received this as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Jason Felts, a dwarf and social worker, who grew up above the funeral home and was a stand in pallbearer when needed, gets tangled into the web of the Gilberts when the youngest brother gets arrested and he tries to help him get out his situation. What ensues is a novel filled with characters that are difficult to stomach doing things that makes the story become darker and darker.
I am okay with this novel, and I would recommend it if someone is asking for recommendations for a novel that is well written, filled with crime, politically incorrect opinions, and bad decisions. I can not recommend this for everyone. Most of the characters are men filled with rage and desperation, trying to either control the situation or get out from under control of the situation, and some of this could be due to regional and/or economic attitude, but as a whole, it really is pleasing to a specific audience. The writing is skillful, and Jordan Farmer writes a good novel, but the story itself leaves something to be desired. I look forward to more works by Farmer.
I received this as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 23, 2018
OMG. What a read. I highly recommend this book for your reading pleasure. Hooks you from page one and does not let go. Interesting subject matter and superb writing. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.
January 19, 2019
Now this is how to write a true to life novel. No Hollywood bullshit. Gritty realism all the way through. Examines both sides of loyalty and intentions. Excellent pacing, down and dirty characters, and a few angels thrown in to keep you believing. Fine as frog’s hair.
November 19, 2024
This has its flaws but I really liked it.
Farmer has a way with evoking a setting that's not only vivid but whole and enveloping. Maybe setting isn't even the right word, it's the places but also the people characterized by this ever-present decay, rot, and death. He makes it tangible and uncomfortable, putting you right in the middle this falling apart small town that you can't escape. I found myself often impressed by the creativity of the language used to make this feeling so present, with a lot of simple but really specific metaphors and similes that worked really well to make the world permeate into the writing. The more explicit descriptions of violence, verbal and physical to both humans and animals, also played into it - but big warning to those who might be sensitive to that that it's consistently present in the book. Overall, for me the strong setting and the way it was inseparable from the characters and the story was the best part of the book.
I have somewhat more mixed feelings about the characters and character relationships. On one hand, I thought the way that all the decay and violence juxtaposed with these small moments of love and connection was well done. It could have been turned into a sort of blanket "Life is hard but love wins out!" but I think that would've done an injustice to the story. Instead, the vulnerable and positive human connection is in constant conflict with the rest, with a mix of both bad and good results coming from it. I thought that worked much better. That being said, I think the Terry - Huddles connection could have either been further developed, or left more simple. It was kind of left at an in between point that made certain aspects feel a bit out of nowhere.
On the other hand, some of the background characters felt quite underdeveloped and similar in a lot of ways. I thought some of the secondary or background characters were well done, like Hendricks, but others fell a bit short. I feel like this is a criticism I often have of books and overall this one does it pretty alright.
As a short but important note, I noticed at some point that basically only the black characters (and I think one background character who's noted to be very very pale) seemed to be introduced to the reader with their race/skin colour. In an early chapter there is a brief mention of the history of the town involving the population changing from mainly black merchants to mainly white addicts which implies most of the characters will be white, but I think there are still better approaches out there.
I think the biggest flaw of the book is that it needs a good edit. There were a notable amount of typos or grammatically wrong sentences, including a few sentence fragments or nonsensical sentences. Not enough to be distracting, but enough to notice. At one point, there's a sentence saying one character beard the gunshots of a scene that had only consisted of two other characters, with no explanation of why that was included or how it was possible. It was very jarring. At the beginning I also found it very difficult to keep track of who was who, and I think another round of editing could've tightened that up too.
Despite this, 4 stars because the world Farmer's created is just so good and effective, and because whether terrible things or no notable thing was happening on the page, I just wanted to keep reading!
Farmer has a way with evoking a setting that's not only vivid but whole and enveloping. Maybe setting isn't even the right word, it's the places but also the people characterized by this ever-present decay, rot, and death. He makes it tangible and uncomfortable, putting you right in the middle this falling apart small town that you can't escape. I found myself often impressed by the creativity of the language used to make this feeling so present, with a lot of simple but really specific metaphors and similes that worked really well to make the world permeate into the writing. The more explicit descriptions of violence, verbal and physical to both humans and animals, also played into it - but big warning to those who might be sensitive to that that it's consistently present in the book. Overall, for me the strong setting and the way it was inseparable from the characters and the story was the best part of the book.
I have somewhat more mixed feelings about the characters and character relationships. On one hand, I thought the way that all the decay and violence juxtaposed with these small moments of love and connection was well done. It could have been turned into a sort of blanket "Life is hard but love wins out!" but I think that would've done an injustice to the story. Instead, the vulnerable and positive human connection is in constant conflict with the rest, with a mix of both bad and good results coming from it. I thought that worked much better. That being said, I think the Terry - Huddles connection could have either been further developed, or left more simple. It was kind of left at an in between point that made certain aspects feel a bit out of nowhere.
On the other hand, some of the background characters felt quite underdeveloped and similar in a lot of ways. I thought some of the secondary or background characters were well done, like Hendricks, but others fell a bit short. I feel like this is a criticism I often have of books and overall this one does it pretty alright.
As a short but important note, I noticed at some point that basically only the black characters (and I think one background character who's noted to be very very pale) seemed to be introduced to the reader with their race/skin colour. In an early chapter there is a brief mention of the history of the town involving the population changing from mainly black merchants to mainly white addicts which implies most of the characters will be white, but I think there are still better approaches out there.
I think the biggest flaw of the book is that it needs a good edit. There were a notable amount of typos or grammatically wrong sentences, including a few sentence fragments or nonsensical sentences. Not enough to be distracting, but enough to notice. At one point, there's a sentence saying one character beard the gunshots of a scene that had only consisted of two other characters, with no explanation of why that was included or how it was possible. It was very jarring. At the beginning I also found it very difficult to keep track of who was who, and I think another round of editing could've tightened that up too.
Despite this, 4 stars because the world Farmer's created is just so good and effective, and because whether terrible things or no notable thing was happening on the page, I just wanted to keep reading!
August 10, 2024
La mort sur ses épaules de Jordan Farmer, présentation
Shane et Huddles convoient de la drogue, de nuit, en Virginie Occidentale.
Ils se font arrêter par la police.
Ferris est le frère de Huddles. Il a fait beaucoup de prison.
Avis La mort sur ses épaules de Jordan Farmer
Ce roman a été demandé avec ma Kube Majuscule car je n’avais rien en attente pour recevoir une nouveauté. La 4ème de couverture me plaisait assez et j’ai choisi le livre d’un des fondateurs de La Kube.
Après son arrestation, Huddles se retrouve dans une prison pour jeunes. Il a moins de 18 ans. La justice veut le fait tomber à cause de son frère, criminel notoire qui n’a jamais été franchement condamné. En prison, Huddles va vite se rendre compte qu’il ne doit pas se laisser faire et se faire respecter.
De son côté, Terry, 17 ans, essaie de se faire de l’argent de poche en travaillant sur des chantiers au noir. Cela lui permet d’entretenir son addiction et d’aider son compagnon. Terry est seul, il ne peut plus rentrer chez lui car son père l’a mis à la porte. Lors d’une rencontre avec le frère de Huddles, il aura une mission, tuer le shérif afin qu’iil ne témoigne pas contre Huddles. Lors d’un cambriolage, Terry va se retrouver en prison et rencontrer Huddles.
Une petite ville minière des Etats-Unis où tout se dégrade car il n’y a plus d’emplois. Les jeunes, comme les moins jeunes sont désoeuvrés. Les jeunes grandissent dans un coin isolé, où l’industrie minière est sur sa fin. Ils n’ont pas de travail, ils boient, ils se droguent. Les centres de détention sont vite remplis. De nombreux jeunes peuvent s’y retrouver, quel que soit le méfait commis. On sait qu’aux Etats-Unis, les jeunes, même mineurs, peuvent prendre cher, aussi cher que des adultes. Dans ce centre de détention, c’est la prison mais pas la pire. Les bagarres entraînent des isolements. Tous doivent se tenir tranquilles pour ne pas finir dans des quartiers de haute sécurité. Il y a toujours ceux qui veulent être les leaders et faire les chefs dans ce milieu carcéral. La différence est vraiment mal vue. Ceux qui les accompagnent ont plus ou moins espoir qu’ils s’en sortent, mais ils savent que plusieurs séjours en prison, et même un seul, peut les anéantir et en faire des délinquants aux actes plus graves.
Huddles, même en prison, doit obéir à son frère. Mais ce dernier, qui tire toutes les ficelles, ne s’attendait pas à ce que son frère traîne autant pour accomplir un meurtre. Car Huddles, pour la première fois, dans cette prison pour mineurs, se prend d’affection pour Terry, qui traîne son mal-être chevillé au corps. Terry a beaucoup souffert mais il ne veut pas se confier et surtout il ne veut pas que les autres soient en danger à cause de lui. Huddles éprouve même de l’amitié pour ce jeune garçon. Il doit se cacher de son frère mais aussi des autres détenus. Il sait qu’il ne sortira jamais de prison.
Personnellement, je m’attendais à mieux pour ce roman. Sitôt lu, pratiquement oublié. Les personnages sont bien trouvés, étudiés, tout comme les situations. Le déroulé du roman est réalisé sans fautes. Mais l’auteur n’a pas rendu les personnages attachants, pour ma part.
Shane et Huddles convoient de la drogue, de nuit, en Virginie Occidentale.
Ils se font arrêter par la police.
Ferris est le frère de Huddles. Il a fait beaucoup de prison.
Avis La mort sur ses épaules de Jordan Farmer
Ce roman a été demandé avec ma Kube Majuscule car je n’avais rien en attente pour recevoir une nouveauté. La 4ème de couverture me plaisait assez et j’ai choisi le livre d’un des fondateurs de La Kube.
Après son arrestation, Huddles se retrouve dans une prison pour jeunes. Il a moins de 18 ans. La justice veut le fait tomber à cause de son frère, criminel notoire qui n’a jamais été franchement condamné. En prison, Huddles va vite se rendre compte qu’il ne doit pas se laisser faire et se faire respecter.
De son côté, Terry, 17 ans, essaie de se faire de l’argent de poche en travaillant sur des chantiers au noir. Cela lui permet d’entretenir son addiction et d’aider son compagnon. Terry est seul, il ne peut plus rentrer chez lui car son père l’a mis à la porte. Lors d’une rencontre avec le frère de Huddles, il aura une mission, tuer le shérif afin qu’iil ne témoigne pas contre Huddles. Lors d’un cambriolage, Terry va se retrouver en prison et rencontrer Huddles.
Une petite ville minière des Etats-Unis où tout se dégrade car il n’y a plus d’emplois. Les jeunes, comme les moins jeunes sont désoeuvrés. Les jeunes grandissent dans un coin isolé, où l’industrie minière est sur sa fin. Ils n’ont pas de travail, ils boient, ils se droguent. Les centres de détention sont vite remplis. De nombreux jeunes peuvent s’y retrouver, quel que soit le méfait commis. On sait qu’aux Etats-Unis, les jeunes, même mineurs, peuvent prendre cher, aussi cher que des adultes. Dans ce centre de détention, c’est la prison mais pas la pire. Les bagarres entraînent des isolements. Tous doivent se tenir tranquilles pour ne pas finir dans des quartiers de haute sécurité. Il y a toujours ceux qui veulent être les leaders et faire les chefs dans ce milieu carcéral. La différence est vraiment mal vue. Ceux qui les accompagnent ont plus ou moins espoir qu’ils s’en sortent, mais ils savent que plusieurs séjours en prison, et même un seul, peut les anéantir et en faire des délinquants aux actes plus graves.
Huddles, même en prison, doit obéir à son frère. Mais ce dernier, qui tire toutes les ficelles, ne s’attendait pas à ce que son frère traîne autant pour accomplir un meurtre. Car Huddles, pour la première fois, dans cette prison pour mineurs, se prend d’affection pour Terry, qui traîne son mal-être chevillé au corps. Terry a beaucoup souffert mais il ne veut pas se confier et surtout il ne veut pas que les autres soient en danger à cause de lui. Huddles éprouve même de l’amitié pour ce jeune garçon. Il doit se cacher de son frère mais aussi des autres détenus. Il sait qu’il ne sortira jamais de prison.
Personnellement, je m’attendais à mieux pour ce roman. Sitôt lu, pratiquement oublié. Les personnages sont bien trouvés, étudiés, tout comme les situations. Le déroulé du roman est réalisé sans fautes. Mais l’auteur n’a pas rendu les personnages attachants, pour ma part.
November 12, 2018
I reviewed The Pallbearer by Jordan Farmer. The Pallbearer is a visceral, raw tale set in the rural West Virginia. The story follows the lives of two troubled youth. One is named Huddles. He is the younger brother of the resident thug named Ferris Gilbert. The Gilbert name is well known and feared in the small town of Lynch. Ferris Gilbert is well known for his violent streak, and is suspected in multiple homicides in and around Lynch. Huddles and his good friend Shane are apprehended by the local sheriff. A search of their vehicle yields a collection of weapons and many illicit drugs. Huddles and Shane end up in the local detention facility.
Ferris Gilbert decides to take immediate retaliation for Huddles arrest and he arranges for the sheriff who arrested Huddles to be assassinated. He recruits another troubled youth named Terry Blankenship. Terry Is a local boy who works on odd jobs in town for money. He has developed a nasty drug dependency, and he has left his dad’s home for the streets after his dad begins to suspect Terry is gay, and he takes it upon himself to degrade and occasionally beat the gay out of Terry. Terry lives in an abandoned cabin deep in the woods with his boyfriend Davey. Terry owes Ferris Gilbert money, so Ferris exploits this and recruits Terry to kill the sheriff. In exchange his debt will be wiped clean and he will be given a ride to anywhere he wants to go so he start over. While Terry succeeds at killing the Sheriff, he blows his opportunity to leave town and he is subsequently arrested for breaking and entering. He lands in the same detention facility as Huddles. The boys develop an unlikely friendship despite the obvious conflict.
The story is engaging and heartbreaking at the same time. The author has a gift for writing raw descriptives. There is a certain beauty in the words. I do wish there were a happy ending for at least some of the characters. The story is truly a heartbreaker to the end. Despite that the story is engaging and a powerful story to read. Copy provided by NetGalley.
Ferris Gilbert decides to take immediate retaliation for Huddles arrest and he arranges for the sheriff who arrested Huddles to be assassinated. He recruits another troubled youth named Terry Blankenship. Terry Is a local boy who works on odd jobs in town for money. He has developed a nasty drug dependency, and he has left his dad’s home for the streets after his dad begins to suspect Terry is gay, and he takes it upon himself to degrade and occasionally beat the gay out of Terry. Terry lives in an abandoned cabin deep in the woods with his boyfriend Davey. Terry owes Ferris Gilbert money, so Ferris exploits this and recruits Terry to kill the sheriff. In exchange his debt will be wiped clean and he will be given a ride to anywhere he wants to go so he start over. While Terry succeeds at killing the Sheriff, he blows his opportunity to leave town and he is subsequently arrested for breaking and entering. He lands in the same detention facility as Huddles. The boys develop an unlikely friendship despite the obvious conflict.
The story is engaging and heartbreaking at the same time. The author has a gift for writing raw descriptives. There is a certain beauty in the words. I do wish there were a happy ending for at least some of the characters. The story is truly a heartbreaker to the end. Despite that the story is engaging and a powerful story to read. Copy provided by NetGalley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2022
La mort sur ses épaules de Jordan Farmer
Une pépite noire qui se déroule en Virginie-Occidentale dans la ville sinistrée de Lynch. Ancienne ville minière aujourd'hui à l'arrêt où le temps semble s'être suspendu dans une ruralité exsangue. Ne subsistent plus comme pourvoyeur d'emplois, que le trafic de drogues, les bars décrépits et le centre de détention pour mineurs. C'est dans se contexte que nous allons rencontrer : Jason Felt assistant social au centre de détention dont le nanisme est une des particularités maispas la seule puisqu'il a aussi grandit au dessus du salon funéraire de son oncle. Terry Blankenship adolescent gay chassé de chez lui par son père homophobe, Huddles Gilbert qui vit sous la domination de son grand frère Ferris petit caïd local. L'histoire est portée par le destin de ces personnages est étroitement lié pour le meilleur ou pour le pire. Ils essaieront tous de s'en sortir mais il semble que la ville les enchaînent sans qu'ils ne puissent jamais s'échapper. Une histoire sur la fatalité, l'incarcération des jeunes et aucune possibilité d'amélioration lorsqu'on est du côté des perdants. On perçoit l'abandon et le désespoir de Terry et des autres alors que l'espoir et la lumière se font de plus en plus incertains. Des personnages qui portent en eux aussi bien le malheur que la violence et qui prennent de mauvaises décisions qui les entraîneront encore plus loin.
Un roman magnifique, sensible, d'un noir profond avec des personnages bien construits qui viennent nous toucher. L'auteur aborde le handicap de Jason Felt d'une façon intelligente en faisant des flash-back sur son enfance par exemple. Comme pour la sexualité de Terry qui est abordée sans faux semblants. J'ai aimé voir les personnages se débattre avec leur conscience de qui était moral ou pas
Un style de haut niveau qui pour un premier roman me donne juste envie de suivre l'auteur dans la lecture des suivants. Bonne lecture.
http://latelierdelitote.canalblog.com...
Une pépite noire qui se déroule en Virginie-Occidentale dans la ville sinistrée de Lynch. Ancienne ville minière aujourd'hui à l'arrêt où le temps semble s'être suspendu dans une ruralité exsangue. Ne subsistent plus comme pourvoyeur d'emplois, que le trafic de drogues, les bars décrépits et le centre de détention pour mineurs. C'est dans se contexte que nous allons rencontrer : Jason Felt assistant social au centre de détention dont le nanisme est une des particularités maispas la seule puisqu'il a aussi grandit au dessus du salon funéraire de son oncle. Terry Blankenship adolescent gay chassé de chez lui par son père homophobe, Huddles Gilbert qui vit sous la domination de son grand frère Ferris petit caïd local. L'histoire est portée par le destin de ces personnages est étroitement lié pour le meilleur ou pour le pire. Ils essaieront tous de s'en sortir mais il semble que la ville les enchaînent sans qu'ils ne puissent jamais s'échapper. Une histoire sur la fatalité, l'incarcération des jeunes et aucune possibilité d'amélioration lorsqu'on est du côté des perdants. On perçoit l'abandon et le désespoir de Terry et des autres alors que l'espoir et la lumière se font de plus en plus incertains. Des personnages qui portent en eux aussi bien le malheur que la violence et qui prennent de mauvaises décisions qui les entraîneront encore plus loin.
Un roman magnifique, sensible, d'un noir profond avec des personnages bien construits qui viennent nous toucher. L'auteur aborde le handicap de Jason Felt d'une façon intelligente en faisant des flash-back sur son enfance par exemple. Comme pour la sexualité de Terry qui est abordée sans faux semblants. J'ai aimé voir les personnages se débattre avec leur conscience de qui était moral ou pas
Un style de haut niveau qui pour un premier roman me donne juste envie de suivre l'auteur dans la lecture des suivants. Bonne lecture.
http://latelierdelitote.canalblog.com...
October 24, 2018
THE PALLBEARER is Jordan Farmer's debut novel. It will be published November 6th 2018 by Skyhorse Publishing.
Lynch, West Virginia - a poverty stricken town in the dying coal region - is ruled by the ruthless criminal Ferris Gilbert. When Ferris' younger brother is incarcerated at a juvenile facility, Ferris manipulates and threatens social worker, Jason Felts, into smuggling a deadly item into the jail. Jason, who only wants to help people, is forced to choose between saving Huddles Gilbert or himself and his loved ones. Terry Blankenship - another troubled youth - finds himself in debt to Ferris. To pay off his debt, Terry agrees to murder the local sheriff and then leave the area. When things go sideways, Ferris, Huddles, Terry, and Jason find themselves caught up in a dangerous game that not all of them will survive.
I found THE PALLBEARER to be an interesting and gritty novel, but I just couldn't get into the story. While most of the characters were sympathetic, none of them were really likable and I just didn't care about any of them. The story is also very dark and violent. There are a few moments of redemption.
Farmer did bring to life the fictional Appalachian town with true-to-life descriptions and details. The residents of Lynch are just trying to survive - the coal mining industry has collapsed and the area has fallen into ruin - and some of them have been forced into a life of crime. Farmer also takes on numerous difficult topics - animal cruelty, homophobia, juvenile delinquency, physical altercations, dwarfism, and violence.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Lynch, West Virginia - a poverty stricken town in the dying coal region - is ruled by the ruthless criminal Ferris Gilbert. When Ferris' younger brother is incarcerated at a juvenile facility, Ferris manipulates and threatens social worker, Jason Felts, into smuggling a deadly item into the jail. Jason, who only wants to help people, is forced to choose between saving Huddles Gilbert or himself and his loved ones. Terry Blankenship - another troubled youth - finds himself in debt to Ferris. To pay off his debt, Terry agrees to murder the local sheriff and then leave the area. When things go sideways, Ferris, Huddles, Terry, and Jason find themselves caught up in a dangerous game that not all of them will survive.
I found THE PALLBEARER to be an interesting and gritty novel, but I just couldn't get into the story. While most of the characters were sympathetic, none of them were really likable and I just didn't care about any of them. The story is also very dark and violent. There are a few moments of redemption.
Farmer did bring to life the fictional Appalachian town with true-to-life descriptions and details. The residents of Lynch are just trying to survive - the coal mining industry has collapsed and the area has fallen into ruin - and some of them have been forced into a life of crime. Farmer also takes on numerous difficult topics - animal cruelty, homophobia, juvenile delinquency, physical altercations, dwarfism, and violence.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
December 4, 2018
I have been going back and forth on my review for this one. This was a tough book to read - animal harm, self hard, homophobia, etc. - but tough books have never been an issue for me. I actually like reading the tough stuff - I just can't watch it. The tough stuff wasn't my problem - it was the feeling I got when I read it that was the problem. I felt so heavy and sad and depressed the entire time I was reading. There wasn't any joy - nothing to ease the sadness that I felt as I read. I think that's why this isn't a 5 star for me - it was just so dang sad.
This is probably an incredibly naive opinion for me to have because let's be real, life can be really sad and really painful and really horrible. But, the reason I read is BECAUSE life can be really sad and really painful and really horrible. I don't want to read a book that's as depressing as life can sometimes be, even though I really did enjoy this book and thought it was incredibly well written. It was thought provoking and eye opening, but it just felt a little too real. Again, I know that's naive and maybe even a little out of touch, but it definitely didn't lift me up. However, any book that can truly leave me with any sort of feeling - anger, rage, happiness, etc. - gets high marks in my book. I won't soon forget how this book made me feel
This is probably an incredibly naive opinion for me to have because let's be real, life can be really sad and really painful and really horrible. But, the reason I read is BECAUSE life can be really sad and really painful and really horrible. I don't want to read a book that's as depressing as life can sometimes be, even though I really did enjoy this book and thought it was incredibly well written. It was thought provoking and eye opening, but it just felt a little too real. Again, I know that's naive and maybe even a little out of touch, but it definitely didn't lift me up. However, any book that can truly leave me with any sort of feeling - anger, rage, happiness, etc. - gets high marks in my book. I won't soon forget how this book made me feel
April 19, 2022
Lynch est une petite ville déshéritée de Virginie Occidentale. Le roman s’ouvre sur l’arrestation de Huddles Gilbert, alors qu’il convoyait de la drogue pour son grand frère Ferris, la terreur du coin. Ferris ne laissant rien au hasard, il charge un de ses clients qui lui est redevable, le jeune Terry Blankenship, de tuer le shérif afin qu’il lui soit plus facile de faire libérer son frère.
Arrêté pour un cambriolage, Terry se retrouve dans le même centre de détention que Huddles, dont il fait la connaissance. Centre dans lequel travaille Jason Felts, sur qui Gilbert Ferris va également faire pression. Comment ces trois hommes vont-ils réagir à l’emprise menaçante de Gilbert Ferris ?
Voici le point de départ de La mort sur ses épaules, premier roman de Jordan Farmer, dans la lignée du genre « Rural noir des Appalaches ». Le décor socio-économique est très bien planté, où règnent la violence, les stupéfiants en tout genre, l’alcoolisme et la misère ; et l’on ne peut que s’attacher à Terry, Huddles et Jason, tous marqués par la fatalité mais qui se débattent comme ils peuvent pour s’en extraire. Ils sont tous trois décrits avec beaucoup de finesse et d’empathie, et ont en commun une différence face à la norme qui les isole, mais leur permet de se rencontrer.
Un très beau roman noir, à l’action parfaitement menée, où la lumière nait de la sensibilité de ses personnages.
Arrêté pour un cambriolage, Terry se retrouve dans le même centre de détention que Huddles, dont il fait la connaissance. Centre dans lequel travaille Jason Felts, sur qui Gilbert Ferris va également faire pression. Comment ces trois hommes vont-ils réagir à l’emprise menaçante de Gilbert Ferris ?
Voici le point de départ de La mort sur ses épaules, premier roman de Jordan Farmer, dans la lignée du genre « Rural noir des Appalaches ». Le décor socio-économique est très bien planté, où règnent la violence, les stupéfiants en tout genre, l’alcoolisme et la misère ; et l’on ne peut que s’attacher à Terry, Huddles et Jason, tous marqués par la fatalité mais qui se débattent comme ils peuvent pour s’en extraire. Ils sont tous trois décrits avec beaucoup de finesse et d’empathie, et ont en commun une différence face à la norme qui les isole, mais leur permet de se rencontrer.
Un très beau roman noir, à l’action parfaitement menée, où la lumière nait de la sensibilité de ses personnages.
October 6, 2019
A well written, interesting plot which moves right along and is easy to read. Unfortunately the subject matter is depressing and demoralizing which makes this a "not fun" book. I believe the author did a fine job of capturing the plight of Appalachia where there are few prospects for advancement and those that are available are largely illegal or of questionable moral quality. Just as the plight of the Appalachian inhabitants is depressing and hopeless, I found the book to be the same.
October 21, 2023
Immensely sad but beautifully crafted
This is unremittingly depressing, but utterly convincing and compelling.
I’ll be honest, it didn’t get hold of me for 30 pages or so as the principle characters were introduced and the culture of place established, but once I connected with the rhythm of the novel I finished it at a gallop.
It’s a hard read, but it’s so well written and it respects the protagonists to the final page. Recommended.
This is unremittingly depressing, but utterly convincing and compelling.
I’ll be honest, it didn’t get hold of me for 30 pages or so as the principle characters were introduced and the culture of place established, but once I connected with the rhythm of the novel I finished it at a gallop.
It’s a hard read, but it’s so well written and it respects the protagonists to the final page. Recommended.
March 30, 2019
The ending lacked the strength of the rest of the novel. A great read.
Read
December 12, 2022Not that great, hard to finish
May 22, 2025
brillant
April 23, 2019
Summary: Jason Felts is a counselor at the Shelby Youth Correctional Facility in Lynch, West Virginia. When he was younger, he worked as a pallbearer at the local funeral home. As someone who was--and continues to be--bullied because of his physical challenges, he has a soft spot for the boys in the "Shell", the nickname for the boy's prison.
Lynch, a coal mining town well onto its final skid into oblivion, is home to those who have nowhere else to go. At the top of this slag heap is a hoodlum named Ferris Gilbert. When Ferris' younger brother, Huddles, gets caught running a job for his older brother, Huddles is sent to the Shell. Already hardened at 15, Huddles fits right into prison life.
Terry Blankenship's father tossed him out of the house for being gay. Terry struggles to make ends meet doing odd jobs while living in a shack in the woods with his boyfriend. Unlike, Huddles, Terry still has too many soft spots. He attempts to cope by popping stolen pills. After Terry makes a huge mistake he also ends up in the Shell, with Ferris Gilbert's contract on his head.
Jason Felt takes big risks to try to protect both of the boys.
Comments: While the town of Lynch, West Virginia is fictional, the hopelessness is not. I drove through some West Virginia mining towns about thirty years ago. Stores were shuttered, everything was covered with a fine black dust. With my relatively privileged life, I felt... guilty. Guilty that despite my circumstances (I was in an abusive marriage at the time), I still had hope. I came from a middle class family and was well educated. I had a job, good health care and could hire a lawyer and get my life back.
What The Pallbearer accurately depicts is people who are born without options. The boys in the Shell learned to distance themselves emotionally from an early age in order to survive. I was deeply affected by this novel. It made me think about the people who still live in these forgotten rural areas and anywhere that people live under crushing poverty and hopelessness -- and many of the sociological and political implications of that existence.
Highly Recommended. Literary Fiction, General Fiction
Lynch, a coal mining town well onto its final skid into oblivion, is home to those who have nowhere else to go. At the top of this slag heap is a hoodlum named Ferris Gilbert. When Ferris' younger brother, Huddles, gets caught running a job for his older brother, Huddles is sent to the Shell. Already hardened at 15, Huddles fits right into prison life.
Terry Blankenship's father tossed him out of the house for being gay. Terry struggles to make ends meet doing odd jobs while living in a shack in the woods with his boyfriend. Unlike, Huddles, Terry still has too many soft spots. He attempts to cope by popping stolen pills. After Terry makes a huge mistake he also ends up in the Shell, with Ferris Gilbert's contract on his head.
Jason Felt takes big risks to try to protect both of the boys.
Comments: While the town of Lynch, West Virginia is fictional, the hopelessness is not. I drove through some West Virginia mining towns about thirty years ago. Stores were shuttered, everything was covered with a fine black dust. With my relatively privileged life, I felt... guilty. Guilty that despite my circumstances (I was in an abusive marriage at the time), I still had hope. I came from a middle class family and was well educated. I had a job, good health care and could hire a lawyer and get my life back.
What The Pallbearer accurately depicts is people who are born without options. The boys in the Shell learned to distance themselves emotionally from an early age in order to survive. I was deeply affected by this novel. It made me think about the people who still live in these forgotten rural areas and anywhere that people live under crushing poverty and hopelessness -- and many of the sociological and political implications of that existence.
Highly Recommended. Literary Fiction, General Fiction
January 10, 2019
The title of this book drew me in. Then I read the synopsis and decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. The Pallbearer is about real people with real problems trying the best they can to survive. A small West Virginia town, dying as the coal mines close, run by the only family left in town with enough money to influence everyone else. There are several main characters, all living different lives that end up pulled together by chance. How they work through their differences to get ahead makes a very good story.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews