Down to the dirt

by Joel Thomas Hynes

Down to the Dirt
unabridged audio edition
by Joel Thomas Hynes


Read by Joel Thomas Hynes (aka Joel Hynes) , Sherry White and Jonny Harris

Originally published by Killick Press in 2004; reprinted by HarperCollins 2005

Down to the Dirt is Joel Thomas Hynes' Percy Janes Award-winning first novel. Told in the voices of various characters and from first and third-person perspectives, Down to the Dirt follows the hard-drinking, hard-living Keith Kavanagh from his sexual initiation with an older woman in the small community of his childhood to his Quixotic quest for meaning in the big city.

Kavanagh is one of Canadian literature's most memorable and mesmerizing creations. He may appear hard as nails—a self-destructive hedonist, a dynamo of crackling energy and imminent violence—but at heart, he is (in the words of novelist Michael Crummey) “a troubled Holden Caulfield innocent" desperately searching for his place in a world that doesn't seem to want or need him.

Hynes’ great achievement is in maintaining a convincing balance between tenderness and brutality as he guides the seemingly hopeless Kavanagh from one scene of comic chaos into another. Down to the Dirt is a lit fuse burning with anarchic energy.

Down to the Dirt on Myspace.com




Audio Reviews:

"Picture a teenaged outcast in Newfoundland and his two closest friends—they all love to talk dirty, each with a somewhat skewed Irish accent. This is why the audio version of Hynes’s first novel (really linked stories) is more than welcome. Hynes, also an actor, narrates in protagonist Keith Kavanagh’s voice, joined by Sherry White and Johnny Harris. If anyone has ever wondered what’s going through the minds of those eternal bad boys and the girls they hook up with, this sensitive portrait is a good place to begin. Hynes’s clipped style, taking stories to a breaking point, then dropping them cold, before too much emotion sets in, works very well."

AudioFile Magazine


Book Reviews:

"Hynes captures [dialogue] masterfully...Raunchy, humorous and energetic...A gritty, moving portrait of growing up - or trying to, anyway."

Publisher's Weekly





"Joel Hynes is the best young voice in years"

David Adams Richards



"...scary, sexy, and funny, sometimes all three at once. It's a hell of a ride."

Michael Crummey, author of River Thieves

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Contemporary, Humor, Young Adult

209 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2004

About the author

JOEL THOMAS HYNES was born and raised in Calvert, Newfoundland. His book, Down to the Dirt, won the Percy Janes First Novel Award, was shortlisted for the Atlantic Book Awards and the Winterset Award, and was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It has also been staged to widespread acclaim and was recently adapted for the big screen. A celebrated author of novels, short stories and stage plays, Hynes is also a professional actor who has performed numerous leading roles for film, television and stage.

Reviews

[Melanie McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another 5 star read!

[Tamara Templeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joel Thomas Hynes came to my highschool in Clarenville, Newfoundland during my first year there.
He sat front and center of our gymnasium and told us a story of his brother, an insenerator, insufferable pain, poorly made choices, and tragic loss.
There wasn't a dry eye in the place, though the boys of the Volleyball team may say otherwise.
He pulled emotions from myself and the other students that we didn't even know we were capable of feeling- and then, he said he made it all up... or at least most of it.
He then explained he's an author, and he came to the school to talk about life, drugs, alcohol, and violence... and he wanted to connect with us rather than lecture us.

Once I learned he was an author, I wanted to read anything I could get my hands on of his- at the time he only had 4 books I believe and "Down to the Dirt" was the first one I read.
This book made me laugh, scream, cry, and just about every other emotion you can think of.

It gives an insight into what Newfoundland life is like for some young adults, and captures the longing that a lot of young islanders feel.

We go on an adventure with the main character, we follow him through the journey of life... his ups and his downs and his in betweens. His highest of highs and his lowest of lows we'll say.

And my favorite part?
Because of how talented Joel is with his words, we FEEL it along with the main character. We feel his happiness, his loss, his confusion, his sadness, his hopelessness and that's all any author can really hope for... that their audience can plant themselves so deep into that story that they're basically there too.

The thing about Joel Thomas Hynes is, he's not a sugar coat author... he's real, he's raw and he doesn't give a d**n what anyone else thinks.
He writes from his soul, and he does it well.

[Tiff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read which gave me some insight into life in Newfoundland today. Since there are few contemporary novelists from this region (read, zero), I thought it was cool to get a peek of the Newfoundlound scene. Hynes does a great job of giving the reader a sense of the apathy and utter hopelessness that Keith and Natasha feel, and I dig that they met when Keith was pissing on Natasha's front lawn. However, by the time they get together, any potential for decent characterization is all gone and the reader is left with a bad-boy loves mildly slutty girl stereotype. Also, the best friend does some narration here, which is interspersed randomly throughout the text and fades away just as randomly. The best writing by far was at the end of the novel. I won't give it away, but it almost, kinda, redeemed the whole thing. Although this was not my favorite it contained some good stuff and was unpretentious. I would give Hynes a second look.

[Brandon St. Croix · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was lost for most the book and just ended out of no where.

[JT Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book while searching for similar works to Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting and Glue, and aside from Down to the Dirt being considerably shorter than both those works, it wouldn't surprise me the slightest if Hynes was a fan of Welsh himself. This is a truly limpid sojourn along the coasts of Atlantic Canada, particularly in rural Newfoundland, a community defined as simply "The Cove", though it's likely directly based on Hynes' hometown of Calvert, judging from the geographical clues throughout the story. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of 3 characters, their transitions into adulthood in a remote village, and the radically different directions their lives evolve. This is essentially a story about change.

Keith Kavanagh, a flippant degenerate with a terrible reputation in The Cove, his best friend Andy who is constantly perturbed by his erratic behavior, and Keith's new girlfriend Natasha, a restless young lady eager to taste the fruits of Eden. Hynes does two things extraordinarily well. For one, it's always immediately apparent which character is narrating each new chapter because the characters have such distinctive personality traits. It's plenty obvious without stating it outright, a characteristic of sophisticated character development. Similarly, Hynes doesn't specify dates either, yet it's equally effortless for the reader to ascertain the time gaps between chapters through use of subtleties (The 11 chapters span roughly 5 years, mostly the latter 2.5).

Still though... it seems a little too honest. Credit to Hynes for avoiding the excessive facetiations that typically saturate tales of drunken debauchery, though he could have used his imagination a little more. I think it's a fair assumption it's loosely based on events Hynes either observed or experienced first hand in his own community (maybe he confirmed or denied it over the years, I have no idea about that, I'm operating solely off the impression the story gave me), though it feels a little too realistic at times. Lie to me, exaggerate.... because it's fiction, it's fine. I'm not suggesting an alien spaceship should have descended upon The Cove and started blasting everything in sight, but he could've pretended a little excitement happens in his home province sometimes.

Down to the Dirt is a short, but vivid jaunt into the grimy backwoods of Newfoundland. An unforgettable ride and a testament to the invisible forces that shape our destinies. Will probably re-read again one day.

UPDATE 12/4/22: I finally found the movie and watched it today... all I will say is, don't even bother with this.

[jcg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting character study, a sort of gritty Rebel Without a Cause meets On The Road. A morality lesson in what happens when our society and economy give young people no hope, no direction and no future. Bored with small town life, Keith becomes a troublemaker and causing trouble turns out to be all he achieves. Really captures the accent and the reality of life on the South Shore of Newfoundland.

The novel is loosely structured, rambling in places. Written all in the first person, but in the voices of different characters - it's rather like a series of monologues, vignettes or short stories all strung together. I get the feeling that Hynes didn't know where the book was going when he started. There is narration by some other characters in the first part of the book, but it doesn't go anywhere so the other characters are dropped as the book centres on the relationship of Keith and Natasha.

I was a little disappointed that the story's early potential narrowed down into another relationship story, but that is where Keith's character took it as he slowly realized that he wasn't going to make it on his own. He looked to Natasha to keep him from ending up as a homeless alcoholic, but in the end, even that wasn't enough.

[Tasha-Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I went with the audiobook on this one. I think I could listen to JTH talk all day long. I really would love to know what he's like in person. He always plays such dark characters and plays them exquisitely. It makes me wonder how much of it is from personal experiences. Fantastic story. The second of his works I've read and yet again I was not disappointed.

[Cathy Regular · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0/5.0

Four or five beer later it came to me.
Brilliant, said I to me..
Fuckin' brilliant.

Wherever I falls, that's where I stays. I'm after waken' up in a lot of strange places with strange arms around me.

That's the way it always is I s'pose. The one who walks away first carries all the power.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joel Hynes' protagonist Keith Kavanagh is a mess: mixed up with the law, a drunk and mildly psychotic, but still he remains somewhat likeable. His spiral into self destruction is hard to put down. Hynes has a way with vernacular, almost like a Newfoundland version of Irvine Welsh.

[Ari Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story revolves around two very f**ked up people who were clearly traumatized in childhood and had no therapy or help to deal with their situations. This has led them both to serious self-medication and co-dependency problems. What will happen when one of them leaves?
This book is honest, gritty, darkly humorous and not for the easily offended.
I first read this book 15 years ago and upon discovering that there was an audiobook version, I decided to give it a listen. It was read by the author, Joel Thomas Hynes, Sherry White and Jonny Harris and I found that their performances made the story even better.

[Shauna Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't help but fall in love with JTH's characters, he captures the skeet expertly. You root for Keith on the page but if you met him in real life you would cross the road. Everyone went to school with a Keith, bad family, temper, no common sense. You knew he would end up in the clink eventually. Take a peek in the life of a troubled good-for-nothing. Almost as good as "We'll All Be Burned In our Beds One Night "

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this novel, and I think that added to my appreciation as the narrators (yes, more than one) did an excellent job of representing the Newfoundland speech patterns. If a Newfoundlander tells you otherwise, believe them, I come from the la slicked prairies. It is a hard story. At several points along the way, I considered ditching the book, as Keith’s self-destructive ways are hard to hear. Too close to home I guess. Do I recommend this novel? I do. Is it a fun read? The opposite.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book. Loves it. Keith Kavanagh is a drunk and a disaster. His antics make for an entertaining, well-written book. It's a hilarious, sad, and fun read.
I discovered this author at a Wordfest event many years ago. I loved hearing Joel Thomas Hynes read parts of this book to us.

[Heather(Gibby) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gritty read about a teenager in Newfoundland who is struggling to find a place in a life that is passing him by, he has been kicked out of his house, and his girlfriend moves to another city , He makes a number of choices which lead him further and further down the rabbit hole.

I listened to this in audio, and there were some reallllllllly long pauses between chapters.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully narrated by 3 people this book has Newfoundland characters who are troubled and tortured as they struggle with youth and its temptations.
Sex drugs and more bringing out the worst in Keith and the others while depicting an inner sensitivity that refuses to surface for any length of time.
Sad really.

[Catherine Young]

Well done but as an Atlantic Canadian, I get really tired of books that revel in misery. This is one of those. The writing is accomplished but the misery is enervating. But I would definitely read more of his books.

[Kelly Osmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. First one I've read from this author. It takes a bit to get into the style of writing but loved it once I did. Poor ol' Keith.

[Cathy Regular · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden Gems:

'Cause, by the fuck, when I wants something I wants it right away. I'm like that.

Four or five beer later it came to me.
Brilliant, said I to me.
Fuckin' brilliant.

No one has a sense of adventure anymore 'cause there's no need for one. You can go and rent the grand adventure at any old time and experience it risk-free. Eat your fuckin' Doritos and drink your goddamn Pepsi and fuck off to your bloated bed. Get up and go to school or go to work. No cuts or bruises. No scars. You get to look your best and feel alright about not doing anything out of line, out of the ordinary. Every now and then you'll have made an arse our of yourself at the bar and that's your big crime.

It had to be love. There certainly seemed to be no logical way to explain it. Love is the most illogical force on the face of the planet. Love is a lie someone made up a long time ago that everyone fell for. I fell for it.

The way I sees it, the suggestion, the possibility, of sex is a powerful weapon. Even more potent than the deed itself. Give a little taste and they're like whipped dogs beggin' for scraps at the table.

[Pooch Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lot of things to me. The narration reminds me of Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye, but with a Newfoundland accent and a lot of cussing. There is a coming-of-age feel to the story, but does Keith really learn from it all? The story seems to be haphazardly written, but then again, the main character is also a mess. Moreover, it's quite evident that JTH knows how to write, as there are many literary techniques riddled throughout. Picture the rugged looking bad boy from a small town highschool, telling you a semi-autobiographical tale of his life in the gutter, using colourful language and with a thick Newfoundland outport accent. If you are unfamiliar, there are a lot of Irish and English catch-phrases, but with a unique twang. Anyway, based on the above, this book was a page-turner for me. Check out his other works if you like this one.

[Tuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

i liked one reviewer's idea, the irvine welsh of newfoundland. lots of good local inside "facts" of the great white northeast, and keith the hooligan practically destroys his little town, why? drink, drug, violence, and why-the-hell-not? it's a shitty town anyway. also reminds me of author niall griffiths and his character ianto in the hills of wales Sheepshagger: A Novel
too bad this is sort of fake brutalism writing. maybe next time joel hynes.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keith Kavanagh is a hard-ticket. I suppose if you took any of those coming-of-age novels, say Catcher in the Rye, and set it in a small town in Newfoundland, and inserted a Southern Shore dialect, you'd end up with something like Down to the Dirt. I s'pose b'y.

It's gritty, humorous, sometimes shockingly autobiographical. The novel breathes, the stories squirm around on the pages. Some of them stay with you, squirming, for a long time.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Look, the fact of the matter is that life is long. Life is a long, drawn-out and disgusting ordeal. If it was so short, I wouldn't drink. I'd want to have a good grip. I'd want to remember things. Life is long."

I loved this book. It's written without sentimentality and the characters ring true. I'd give it four and a half stars if that were possible.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am desperate to go to St. John's Newfoundland after reading this book, although the portrayal is hardly idyllic. The characters have that desperate quality to them - like they can see the way they behave is wrong and will make them miserable - but they just can't help themselves. This guy can write.

[Otis Hanby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I didn't get it. Nothing of substance developed with any of the characters, and there was certainly no conclusion drawn from the self-centered life of Keith. Also, there was no depth to any of the vulgar and profane characters within the story. Is this Newfoundland in all its glory? I'm glad it was such a short book. It has that going for it at least.

[AmberBug com* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't too keen on the ending or the story itself. I liked the characters and the writing style. The story didn't have much of a plot but I did like the clever insightful things the main character did or said.

[Katrina Legge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so the reason I loved this novel so much was that it was so hilarious. I felt it captured Newfoundland slang perfectly. It wasn't a typical Newfoundland novel...as in novels I don't usually enjoy. It was witty and real.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very, very good...

[Kevin Gallan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book.very well written.