Curing Time

by Tim Swink, Marcus McGee (Editor)

"Curing time" is tobacco's season of harvest, a time of transformation, when the leaf is made golden by subjection to fire and heat. Tobacco farmer Hume Rankin endures his own curing time in the summer of 1959. When the rains won't come and the crops wilt in the field, he solicits the magic of an old, blind black woman. She warns of the dangers of calling on the middle world and tells him once those spirits are unleashed, it is they who decide when and how the spell unfolds. Hume dismisses her warning, to his peril. When his life-long nemesis, Worth Baker, who has always had his eye on Hume's land as well as his wife, is found dead, all eyes are on Hume. He faces the all-too real possibility of losing his land, his family and even his life. Sitting in a jail cell, uncertain of his own innocence, he finds himself lost and a long way from home. Recalling the old woman's warning, he is haunted by the possibility that he may have played a part in his own demise.

212 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Mary Flinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Swink's debut novel, Curing Time, is an engrossing historically based tale of tobacco farmer Hume Rankin's journey through the trials of possibly losing his land and ultimately himself in rural North Carolina in the late 1950s. Swink digs deep into Hume's life as he dangles by a thread that unravels with each blow. Swink is a master at creating a believable struggle within his protagonist as his circumstances threaten to alienate him from his family, friends, and even his beliefs, as he is tempted to turn to other-worldly methods to solve his problems. As Hume is accused of a murder and lands himself in jail, readers will find themselves despairing for Hume while rooting for him to cure himself in this absorbing Southern page-turner they won't be able to put down. A must-read for anyone who has ever touched a leaf!

[Cheryl Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started out a little slow,but when I got into it, I couldn't put it down. A great read that will really make you think. The only thing that I had an issue with was the dates he used for the hurricane Hazel. It did not take place in 1958 or 59 but in 1954.

[Stephanie Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a book about growing and harvesting tobacco and the importance of mother nature’s timing of sun and water. Giving your blood and soul to the family land and losing it to swindlers is agonizing and the death of the culprit creates chaos.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can read my review of Tim Swink's "Curing Time" at Change Seven Magazine. Thanks! https://changesevenmag.com/2016/09/06...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of this story of a share cropper and his family, their downward spiral at the hands of neighbors, dishonest bankers and the weather.