Narrow the Road

by James Wade

In this gripping coming-of-age odyssey, a young man’s quest to reunite his family takes him on a life-altering journey through the wilds of 1930s East Texas, where both danger and opportunity grow as thick as the pines.

With his father missing and his mother gravely ill, William Carter is struggling to keep his family’s cotton farm afloat in the face of drought and foreclosure. As his options wane, William receives a mysterious letter that claims to know his father’s whereabouts.

Together with his best friend Ollie, a mortician in training, William sets out to find his father and bring him home to set things right. But before the boys can complete their quest, they must navigate the labyrinth of the Big Thicket, some of the country’s most uncharted, untamed land. Along the way they encounter eccentric backwoods characters of every order, running afoul of murderers, bootleggers, and even the legendary Bonnie and Clyde.

But the danger is doubled when the boys agree to take on a medicine show runaway named Lena, eliciting the ire of the show’s leader, the nefarious con man Doctor Downtain. As William, Ollie, and Lena race to uncover the clues and find William’s father, Downtain is closing in on them, readying to make good on his violent reputation. With the clock ticking, William must decide where his loyalties lie and how far he’s willing to go for the people he loves.

From award-winning author James Wade, Narrow the Road is a riveting exploration of a young man’s hard-won coming-of-age and the courageous ways a person can forge a singular path in the face of overwhelming adversity. Alive with grit and tenderness, this is an unforgettable story of the power of friendship to sustain us through loss, betrayal, and devastating consequence.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Westerns, Historical, Audiobook

334 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

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James Wade - Editor, Publishing

James Wade - Historical Fiction, Fiction, Thriller

Reviews

[Canadian Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So begins the journey of a teenage William looking for his father with his best friend, Ollie. His mother is gravely ill, they are about to lose their home, and his dad is off fighting war demons.
It’s in the thick summer heat in Texas.
Along their travels they encounter a fighting ape; a drunk monk; and pick up a runaway girl who decides to join them. But she is being hunted and now the trio have to make a detour.

The story is told mainly from William’s perspective although mid way we get his father’s story on what is keeping him from returning through his diary. The fight for veteran’s bonds; fight for democracy. The humanity that is lacking in war; the men who didn’t return home; the depression that follows; the faith that falters.

This was a compelling read. Light hearted moments between friends and also more intense ones as the group faced their predators and William read Thomas’s words. Richly drawn characters with humour along the way.

This apparently is a coming of age story but is NOT YA.
4.25⭐️

Kudos to Wade for including a map which I referenced frequently.

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Listen close, friend. Can you hear it ? You know that rhythm. You can feel it beating. Withered and worn, but still this boy’s heart beats as if it were your own. Even as you shake your head, his heart is your own.” James Wade made me feel it.

“There were bands of moonlight loosely held by the clouds that covered them but mostly there was darkness and past the door of the barn it was darker still. The boy watched his father walk alone into the black of it all, himself but a shadow returning home.” He made me see it.

A boy becomes a man in this beautifully written and heartbreaking story taking place in Texas in 1932. Fifteen year old William Carter discovers who he is, experiences the depth of friendship that knows no bounds, comes to understand a lot more about life than most fifteen year olds, actually more than most adults for that matter. Facing his grief over his gravely ill mother, a drought destroying their cotton crop, an impending foreclosure, a wandering war veteran father, William sees no recourse except to search for his father. With his best friend Ollie, William travels “The Big Thicket”, a huge and dense forest in Texas. It’s a wild journey, as they encounter both good and evil people along the way. It’s excellent historical fiction depicting this snapshot in time - the Great Depression , prohibition, medicine men, the horrible effects of World War I on so many men represented here by William’s father.

I shed a few tears with a hopeful feeling that William would be okay. This is the first book I have read by James Wade and I cannot figure out how I had missed reading him in the past . That will definitely change as I cannot pass on his incredible writing, storytelling and characters to remember. A favorite of 2025 for sure.

I received a copy of this from Blackstone through NetGalley and Edelweiss.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The power of this novel has left me reeling. I am not generally a fan of coming-of-age stories, particularly when they involve teenage boys - - but this was something totally different. Set in Texas during the Depression, this novel centers around William (16) in his quest to find his father. William faces a terminally ill mother, a failed cotton crop and imminent foreclosure of his family farm, and makes the decision to find his father, a WWI veteran, and bring him home. He is joined by his friend, Ollie, who works in his family’s mortuary business. The farm scenes, including those with William’s mother, are fully and heartbreakingly described.

William and Ollie travel through east Texas where they meet many different people, including a medicine show con man and a reclusive healer, known locally as a witch. They are joined by a teenage girl who is escaping after being sold by her mother. (Yes, this is a very sad novel.)

The description of the beauty of nature that surrounds this trio of travelers is absolutely outstanding. The young people walk in the woods by day and sleep out at night, and every aspect of the natural world they experience is wonderfully described. Of course nature is beautiful, powerful and dangerous. Just as they witness gorgeous things, they also suffer from nature’s harsh side (such as a venous snakebite). Animals in the forest are part of the story as well. In addition the ape (who is pictured on the cover) plays a wonderful role in the narrative.

William and his friends suffer from poverty and the vicissitudes of nature, but as they travel, the heart of the novel consists of their facing of countless failures, deceptions and harms and philosophizing about them – and about life. For me, these were not typical “coming of age” comments; rather, they were thoughts and statements about trying to understand life that could apply to anyone of any age. Here is one example:

“Are you going to be alright?” [[A question posed by a man to William towards the end of the novel.]]
“I’m not sure but I don’t think I’m supposed to be sure. I think if we were sure about everything all the time, then there’d be something missing from all this.”

One other theme in the novel was the impact of WWI on William’s missing father. His damage from being a lieutenant in the trenches of WWI is devastating and life altering. Strong themes of the lifelong effects of war and the resulting questioning of faith as well as relentless guilt are beautifully portrayed through William’s father.

I listened to the audio version, which I recommend. The readers captured the characters’ spirits very well.

The novel is set in Texas during the Depression, but the manner in which it takes on universal issues could place it anywhere in the US – and almost at any time. This author captured two things I dearly love – nature and philosophy of life – and all with lovely writing. I will try to remember the quote below when I need it (which seems to be often at this point in life!): “So long as you keep on going you’re never out of it. Even if you don’t find what you’re looking for you just keep going.”

[James Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeping with the tradition I started when ALL THINGS LEFT WILD was published, I’ll be my hundredth rating. 4.5 stars. It’s the closest I’ve come to getting it right. Back to work.

[Scott Bielinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wade remains one of my favorite prophets of Hope. And this is my favorite of his calls to walk the narrow path, bearing witness to life’s terrible beauty.

“And when at last he came down from the mountain, he passed among the travelers on the narrow road and they saw that his face was radiant.” (288)

[Chelsea (ChelsBookStop) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“So long as you keep going, you’re never out of it. You understand that? Even if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you just keep going. You understand?”

[Carol Ann Tack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just terrific, as Wade’s books always are.

[Cathy VanLear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I have finished the reading of Narrow the Road, this novel will linger in my thoughts for a while. The real life characters became tangible to me as I laughed, cried, and rooted for and with them. The novel brought the struggles of the Great Depression to life in palpable imagery. I thoroughly enjoyed the lush descriptions of the Texas territories from the farmlands to the forest to the swamps. The four star rating was given due to the slow pace at various times throughout the novel although this increased as the novel progressed. Narrow the Road leaves me with much to mull over, to contemplate and digest as to the complexity of our hearts. Thanks to Goodreads for the opportunity to enjoy this endearing novel and loving characters and for the chance to meet a new-to-me and very talented author, James Wade.

[Michele Boyarsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s taken me a while to collect my thoughts on this book. In fact, it took me a while just to sit down with this book, having requested it in June, starting it in July, and finishing it in August. I could tell from the Prologue this was one I needed to prep for—you know, clear my work plate, make room in my social schedule, get the house cleaned. Once I jumped in, I knew I’d be in it.

My hunch was correct and I am now left with the kind of book hangover that can only be cured with copious amounts of yellow Gatorade—i.e., historical romance novels I’ve already read at least twice.

I’ve always been a sucker for a good setting and, as I’ve aged, have become a total addict to a good, propulsive plot. James Wade’s Narrow the Road promises both—and it delivers. East Texas in the dredges of the 1930s Depression ensures this story starts with plenty of meat on the bone. The economic, emotional, and frankly, existential weight of that era hangs over every page, making this the perfect setting for a Western that wants to be more than just guns and grit. Here, “heading West” is not hopeful or freeing, for most it’s not even a choice. It’s a last resort, a move born of desperation. Every character, whether main or background, feels like they are moving away from something rather than toward it, whether it is a tangible threat, uncomfortable truth, or crushing national crisis.

There are many comparisons to John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath in conversations of this book. But, unlike Steinbeck, who in my opinion spent entirely too much page count describing dust, Wade tempers the exposition and reins in the scenery to a vivid but blessedly disciplined threshold. Enough that I could smell the earth, feel the humidity, and wonder at the varied terrain these characters were navigating, but not so much that I was sighing and jumping ahead to get back to the action.

And, make no mistake, there is plenty of action—this book’s blurb is not exaggerating when it uses the words “gripping coming-of-age odyssey.” I was enthusiastically hooked, turning pages with no good guesses as to what fresh hell would present itself on this journey.

Readers can certainly enjoy this book on a surface level, taking in the story of a young boy setting out to find his father and fix his broken family during a broken time. There is plenty of energetic dialogue to bask in, and eccentric side characters whose personalities jump off the page. However, if you are willing to sink into the emotional current rippling through this work, and wade deeper into the thematic elements of loyalty, grief, guilt, faith, and redemption that are practically boiling beneath the surface—then, shoo, you are in for something special.

5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Emma Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second James Wade read, and it did not disappoint. Both Narrow the Road and Hollow Out the Dark (2024) are great reads if you enjoy any of these things:

1) atmospheric Southern Gothic vibes- Narrow the Road is a much a love letter to Texas ecology as it is anything else. For the same reasons that I adored the lush descriptions of swampland in Where the Crawdads Sing, I really savored the varied landscapes of this novel. You get the Texas forests, the backroads, the farmlands, and everything in between, and for me, this is where Wade’s writing really shines

2) characters with strong moral compasses who you just really want to root for- this is what will bring me back to James Wade’s writing. I want characters that I find endearing. I want characters who will do the right thing. And Narrow the Road delivers on both fronts. William and Ollie are both delightful, in some ways reminiscent of an older Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn dynamic duo

3) Cleverly woven history that doesn’t feel forced or like it’s overshadowing the plot- the American history (Clyde Barrow, Prohibition, the Great Depression, the plight of veterans in TX and across the country) informs the plot and touches every aspect of the novel, but it is so cleanly interlaced with William’s story that it isn’t until you finish reading that you realize how much historical research probably went into this book.

I’d recommend Wade to anyone (especially fellow Texans) who craves immersive, atmospheric writing (the Texas natural backdrop almost feels like an unnamed main character), anyone who, like me, just wants relatable and lovable characters, and anyone who really digs this era of American history.

My only complaint is the pacing is a bit slow for me, but it does pick up towards the end. And there are times, as in Hollow Out the Dark, where a quote will feel too heavy-handed to have been uttered by a sixteen-year-old farmer in the 30s, and it disrupted the immersion for me, but I can forgive that for the equally frequent moments of beautiful prose that I have bookmarked and will have to share once this book is published.

Many thanks to James Wade and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.

[David Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Woody Guthrie & Mark Twain had ever collaborated on a book….it may well have been called, Narrow the Road. Indeed, the three young protagonists of the novel reminded me of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, & Scout (*from To Kill a Mockingbird). The crux of the story focuses on William, a 15-year old boy who sets out across the dusty plains of Texas during the Great Depression in hopes of tracking down his father and bringing him home before his mother has passed away. Traversing Texas in 1932, William and his two cohorts encounter an endless number of unforgettable characters; including vagabonds, bank robbers, confidence men, a “witch” in the forrest, a gorilla, an evil medicine man, and an alcoholic monk who’s lost his faith. In addition, as William reads his father’s journal during much of the trek, readers soon realize that this is a man struggling with PTSD and the horrors of WWI. All in all, I would classify this novel as both a sad and fascinating glimpse into a very difficult time in American history.

[Scott Semegran · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Wade’s new novel, NARROW THE ROAD, is an adventure story of historical fiction featuring three young adults. The main character, William, is searching for his father to bring him back to their family’s troubled farm and William’s sick mother. This novel is set in the 1930s and is somewhere in-between THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN and THE BODY. By far, this is my favorite novel of Wade’s. It crackles with his trademark prose style, yet is more than an atmospheric novel. It is a beautiful story about friendship and family, and its existence elevates Wade from a revered writer to an exceptional storyteller. If Wade has been on his way to greatness up to this point with his previous four novels, then with his latest novel, he has arrived. Highly recommended!

[Aaron Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason I picked up this book was because of the Gorilla on the cover. I thought it might be an interesting read. After reading Narrow the Road, I am so glad I picked it up. The story made me feel like I was in the Great Depression, and the story reminded me of the movie, O Brother Where Art Thou. William's growth as a man during the story is not only great but by the end of the book gives a sense of melancholy. This is also one of the few books I've read that dived into the mental trauma that soldiers had to deal with after World War 1. Seeing the effect that it had on William's father is heartbreaking, especially when getting glimpses of his character before and after the war. Just a great read.

Also, I got to meet James Wade at the Louisiana Book Festival and got my copy signed before I read the book. He is a very nice guy and it was a pleasure to meet him. If James does read these reviews, just know that I did "dig it". Thank you for signing and I will definitely be getting more of your books.

[Michelle Tuite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading 2025
Book 161: Narrow the Road by James Wade

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review. Read on my Kindle.

Synopsis: In this thrilling Southern Gothic odyssey, a young man’s quest to reunite his family takes him on a life-altering journey through the wilds of 1930s East Texas, where danger and doubt grow as thick as the pines.

Review: Hmmm, I thought about my review of this book all through the journey the main character takes to find his wayward father. What kept me reading was William, the 15 year old main character, his perfect side kick, Ollie, and the excellent addition of Lena along the journey. William is a thoughtful, sensitive, and courageous young man trying to make sense of his parents in Depression era East Texas. Ollie is a hot tempered impulsive teen who is by William for whatever comes their way. With these guys the book felt YA, but with so many adult themes to tackle. The twists in the book kept me reading to see what would happen to the kids. I keep thinking about these characters after the book is over, which to me is a sign I enjoyed the book.

The chapters, more like asides of the veteran father’s story detracted from the story for me, mostly because of the language. Language throughout the book seemed out of place, more refined story telling than the time period and education level of the characters warranted for me. It distracted from, instead of enhanced the plot.

Recommend this book to historical fiction fans out there who would like a unique journey into the wilds of East Texas. Should there be a sequel and I could get a glimpse into William and Ollie’s lives as adults with their own families that would be something I would read for sure.

[LL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm of two minds. On one hand I feel like this should have been tightened up more; there are parts which just drag and to no benefit to the storytelling. On the other hand some of the best parts of the book are the bits that wander.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The writing is often quite good. The story and setting are generally interesting. The descriptions are vivid and immersive. It seems to be well-researched and respectful of history. I'll look for more works by this author.




I received a free copy for review; all opinions are my own.

[Bella B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had the honor of being a James Wade fan from the start, and the reward continues to grow richer by the year. In his latest coming-of-age triumph, you’re faced with a protagonist (William) who carries grit, heart, courage, and empathy—all the qualities you'd want in a main character. But there’s a catch—in the race to save his mother (and find his father), time is a luxury, and all the running in the world can’t stop him from facing the truth.

I truly connected with the MC, and felt the heartbreak he did when confronting harsh truths at an age too tender to comprehend them. As William journeys forward—piecing together his father’s past through the pages of a diary—what unfolds isn’t just a search for a man, but for meaning, identity, and closure. The father never steps onto the page himself, yet his presence looms large. There’s a particular ache in trying to understand a father who cannot yet understand himself. Told through diary entries, the father’s voice peels back layers of guilt and grief, revealing just how deeply pain can travel through generations. Each entry is a window: cracked, fogged, and, at times, unexpectedly clear.

While your heartstrings are undoubtedly being tugged, Wade continues to showcase his mastery of levity—introducing a sidekick best friend who is more than comic relief; he’s a slap of reality meets harebrained genius, an integral piece of William’s journey. Full of mischief yet fiercely loyal, Ollie stands up, speaks out, and fights for his friend—and for what’s right. Then there’s Lena. Binding the trio together, she carries a heart as bold as a lion. Like William, she’s seen too much far too soon, and Wade gives her story the dignity it deserves. And even when faced with choices that challenge your affection, Wade’s narrative power ensures you never let go of your empathy. It’s a rare gift—to make us love a character we might not like in the end—and he does it with grace. You root for her. For all of them.

I could go on about the characters forever, but that would keep me from one of the most breathtaking elements of NARROW—the vivid, immersive imagery. As a Floridian who shares a love for the lush, murky ecosystem of swamps, mangroves, and glades, Wade’s depictions didn’t just transport me—they comforted me. I didn’t just read the scenes; I saw them unfold like a film reel in my mind.
Woven into that rich landscape is well-researched historical detail that never feels forced, and unforgettable side characters who toe the line between legend and reality.

There’s a difference between storytelling that informs and storytelling that transcends. Wade does the latter. He inhabits his worlds—and lets us in. Not by merely describing the setting, but by evoking a sense of home, of soul, of time and memory. It’s a rare magic, and he wields it with quiet, devastating precision.

If I were to compare this to one of his prior works, I’d say "All Things Left Wild" is the closest companion—but truthfully, each James Wade release stands alone as a literary relic. This story made me laugh, cry (more than once), and do what only the greatest stories can do: reflect on my journey—and how I, in my own way, can narrow the road.

5 (billion) stars.

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An historical fiction novel with a desperate quest, loyal companions, and coming-of-age.

Narrow the Road by Texas author James Wade is a wonderful work of historical fiction, and with its engaging main characters and gripping plot, it reminded me of a true-to-life, epic fantasy quest set in 1930s Depression-besieged East Texas. The storytelling is mesmerizing, the language immersive, and the atmospheric setting had me glued to the tale from start to finish.

With the bank on the brink of foreclosing on their farm, his cotton crop doomed and rotting in the fields, and his mother slowly dying in her bed as she refuses to travel to Houston for treatment, fifteen-year-old only child William Carter sets out on a journey through East Texas, a last-ditch effort to find his absentee father. Thomas Carter had joined hundreds of fellow WWI veterans to march on Washington, D.C., and appeal to lawmakers to provide benefits to those who’d fought and were left hanging when they returned home. While their protests were disregarded, Thomas had failed to return home to his wife and son; his last communication to them was a cryptic letter sent from another East Texas town, some distance from their farm outside Manning. With his mother on her deathbed, refusing to budge until her husband returns home, William sets out for his father’s last known location, accompanied by his best friend, Ollie Leek.

William is a young man with much too much on his shoulders and long out of options. During their journey, he and Ollie, and later Lena, meet an abundance of characters, both good and bad, including men who had served with or met Thomas Carter. Through the men’s commentary and diary entries, William discovers another side to the man he knows as his father. Ollie is William’s boon companion, and a truer “ride or die” friend would be hard to find. While William is the serious, goal-focused, straight man, Ollie is the much-needed comic relief, the wild hair, the accidental genius, and steadfast, loyal friend who knows William like a brother.

Early on, the action tends to pause at times as the author sidesteps to fortify the overall historical foundation of the story or expand the main characters’ exposure to life at that particular time, resulting in a more immersive experience for the reader. This development proves timely as the action really ramps up later in the story.

The East Texas setting provides a diverse terrain for the main character's quest, with farmland long overdue for rain, deep, dark forests, swampland, and small, barely there towns. Wherever the location, though, the author delivers vivid word pictures that place the reader in the moment alongside his characters. While this is not the first novel of this author that I’ve read, it is my favorite.

I recommend NARROW THE ROAD to readers of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy coming-of-age stories, Depression era, or East Texas settings.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately intrigued by Narrow the Road because it’s set in Southeast Texas, that humid, pine-scented corner of the world where I grew up. From the very beginning, I knew I was in for something special: “Wayward young wanderer, alone against the enormity of being.”

Typically, I fly through books, skimming past the details to chase the plot. It’s a rare story that has me slowing down to savor and ponder phrases. Narrow the Road was one of those books for me. I took my time, sipping the language, wrapping myself up in its cadence. The rich, lyrical writing moved me, and so many phrases have stayed with me, like: “Vestiges of forgotten galaxies turned energy ripe for creation.”

At its heart, Narrow the Road is about a young man, William Carter, who’s just trying to hold the pieces of his life together—his mother is sick, his father has gone missing, and the bank is coming for their farm. He and his best friend, Ollie, a mortician-in-training, set out to find William’s father, and along the way, they pick up Lena, a runaway from a snake oil medicine show. What unfolds from there isn’t just an adventure through the Big Thicket—it’s a meditation on courage, loyalty, and what it means to face the tragedies of humanity head-on.

The setting pulled me right back to my own childhood summers in those woods. I could feel the sticky air, smell the pine needles, hear the rustling of life all around. Wade’s descriptions of the Big Thicket are so vivid that they’re almost tactile—every page drips with the heavy, humid poetry of East Texas.

But the beauty of the prose doesn’t soften the story’s unflinching look at suffering. Wade threads through the darkness of the human condition—incest, human trafficking, addiction, illness, war guilt—and somehow finds glimmers of meaning there. When Ollie, after witnessing an unthinkable circumstance, asks, “What are we doing that something like that can just happen?” it’s a familiar question, a universal one we’ve all asked in moments when the world feels cruel and overwhelmingly bleak. Wade doesn’t offer easy answers, but he invites us to sit in the discomfort and look for grace anyway.

Throughout the novel, snippets of Thomas Carter’s (William’s father’s) thoughts surface. These chapters further explore morality and consequence, and give us insight into a man tormented by his combat experience in World War I.

By the time I turned the final page, I felt both hollowed out and deeply moved. The ending is poignant and bitter, yet fitting. Wade doesn’t hand us redemption wrapped neatly in a bow—he reminds us that courage isn’t about conquering despair but walking with it, one hard-earned step at a time.

In Narrow the Road, James Wade has written a story that’s equal parts Southern Gothic odyssey and existential prayer. It’s about the small acts of bravery that carry us through when the road narrows and the light dims—and the way even in our darkest thickets, there’s beauty if we stop long enough to see it.

[Maryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite storytellers has delivered another winner!

Narrow the Road is a wonderful story that, while I was eager to find out what would happen next, part of me didn’t want the rich literary experience to end. As with all the previous novels I’ve read by James Wade, there’s such a richness to the language, to the characters, and to the plot that draws the reader in deeply to the narrative, and doesn’t easily let us go.

This story focuses on William, a fifteen-year-old boy who sets out on a quest to find his father and bring him home before his mother dies. The setting is East Texas in 1932, during a period of draught and the Great Depression, the journey is perilous, and the challenges are myriad. The boy has no money. The farm is about to be taken by the bank, and William only has a vague idea of where his father might be. The boy is joined by his friend Ollie, who is the epitome of what a best friend is, and often adds a touch of comic relief just when William, and the reader, need it.

Mid way through the journey the boys are joined by Lena, who first tries to steal their small cache of food and blankets. When they decide to band together for safety against the vagabonds and the confidence men, the boys soon come to appreciate Lena’s knowledge of the Big Thicket area they still must pass through to get to where William thinks his father is.

Not only do William and Ollie and Lena learn things about themselves and about humanity on their journey, there are lessons for the reader to read and reread. Just one example is this thought about collective bloodlust that is true no matter the circumstances or time period: “Theirs was a primal and unrestrained violence. An ancient violence what saw their every disappointment and disillusion manifested there before them in the beating heart of this creature who was not one of their own. Kill and cleanse and be born anew.”

This is a stark tale, filled with danger and drama, but Wade always knows when to drop in a bit of humor to ease the tension. One example is this when William asks the old woman purported to be a witch when his father left her encampment and she answers, “Sometime before now. Yesterday maybe. Or last year. Time is a memory and memories are funny little shits.”

The narrative fairly sings with wonderful fresh descriptions that let a reader feel and taste and see what the characters are encountering. Such as: “The house had been built at the edge of the woods and the woods now seemed to be seeking more territory. Branches from oaks and willows grew out over the structure and rested their weight on the dormers and on the roof itself. It looked like it had stood for two hundred years. It looked like it might not stand for two more hours.”

Narrow The Road is a story of adventure that is also thoughtful and perfectly crafted. Highly recommended!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1932, and William Carter,15, is meeting with a man who is notifying him that the bank is about to foreclose on the family farm. The cotton crop is unsalvageable (and, in any event, the price of cotton is rock bottom), no one is hiring in the dying town of Shawnee Prairie, Texas and, “even if they were to have something come open, there’s grown men chomping at the bit for an opportunity.” Worse, the local doctor tells William that his ailing mother needs to be seen by the physicians in Houston, but she refuses to go until her husband returns.

William’s father, Thomas, is a veteran who served in France and, since his return, has fought for the rights and care of disabled veterans. Thomas’s attention to the plight of other veterans has come at the expense of his family as he is gone frequently from the farm. “[H]is primary allegiance was to those he’d fought alongside and he began working tirelessly to demand veterans’ war bonds be released to them.” William decides to find his father and bring him home, and he pawns the family mule and his father’s gun to fund the journey.

William is accompanied on his trek by Ollie Manning, the mortician’s son (and a source of comic relief in this bleak tale). At the start of their trek, William and Ollie find themselves at a medicine show where a girl, Lena Forester, has run off explaining that her mother had sold her to Doctor Downtain, the proprietor of the show, and that she was returning home to fetch her younger sister before her mother sold her off too.

The novel follows the trio as they make their harrowing journey to bring Thomas home. On their trek, William and his companions fall in with caravans of migrants, broken men and their families, who are seeking to outrun the depression; loggers; trappers; witches; the outlaw Clyde Barrow; hordes of mosquitos; and venomous snakes. Throughout his travels, William meets veterans with whom is father served, and he is disarmed when he learns how revered his father was by these men.

Wade builds tension as the trio try to locate Thomas before Downtain, who wants Lena back, finds them. Wade masterfully describes the exhausted land, and the toll taken on those who served in the war and those who are caught in the grip of the Depression. Although the writing is lyrical, and the characters are unforgettable, the tale is unrelentingly bleak. Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for an advance copy of this atmospheric but somber story.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Wade has a rare knack for writing landscapes that feel lived in—haunted, even. His latest novel, Narrow the Road, doesn’t just take place in Depression-era East Texas; it *breathes* there. The dirt feels redder, the air heavier, and the people more worn down by life than lifted by it. That’s the first thing that struck me: the place itself isn’t just backdrop—it’s the pulse under the prose.


What’s remarkable about Wade’s evolution as a writer is how he’s learned to make that atmosphere serve the story without ever letting it smother it. His prose is taut but musical, the kind of writing that knows when to linger and when to move. Every sentence seems shaped by the weight of the times—bleak, yes, but never dull, never flat. There’s momentum here, the kind that sneaks up on you. You start reading for the language and suddenly realize you’ve been carried three chapters deep without coming up for air.


This book moves the way real life moves when choices are scarce and hope is a luxury. It’s not a gallop; it’s a steady, purposeful walk into whatever comes next. The characters—men and women alike—live with the kind of quiet desperation that feels heartbreakingly familiar. Wade writes them without judgment, just empathy and precision, as if he’s holding a lantern for them while they figure out whether to run or rest.


He’s been compared to the great chroniclers of the American undercurrent—Steinbeck, McCarthy, Grubb—but what separates Wade from those heavyweights is his restraint. He doesn’t wallow in the mud or linger on the dust. He gives you just enough—the smell of rain before it breaks, the rough edge of a prayer half-remembered—and trusts you to fill in the rest. That confidence makes the world he builds more immediate, more human.


The result is a novel that hums with tension but never forgets its heart. Wade’s sense of justice and mercy, his understanding of grief and endurance, give the story an emotional ballast that keeps it grounded even in its darkest turns. He’s writing about survival, but also about grace—the tiny kind that hides inside ordinary acts.


Narrow the Road feels like the work of a writer at full command of his gifts. It’s intimate and immense, brutal and quietly hopeful.


Goes well with: black coffee gone cold, a record that crackles between songs, and the sound of wind pushing through pine trees just before the rain.

[Thomas Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Narrow the Road, James Wade masterfully conjures a story that matches the grit and grit of the real world. At the heart of this Depression-era odyssey is William Carter, a teenager teetering on the cusp of manhood as he watches his world collapse. His mother lies fading from an unnamed illness, the family farm is withering under debt, and his father—vanished years before after serving in World War 1—might be their last desperate hope. So, William sets out with Ollie, his loyal and oddball friend, a mortician’s apprentice, to find the man who left and perhaps salvage what remains.

Their quest through the piney wilds of 1930s East Texas becomes a grim kind of fairy tale—rich with eccentric strangers, moral snares, and even a sinister medicine showman who travels with a fighting gorilla. The road is fraught with danger, not only physical but spiritual: the threat of becoming as broken as the world around them. Yet Wade infuses this shadowed journey with humor, wonder, and aching humanity. As usual, his prose renders place and time with tactile immediacy, making the stifling woods and the dread they contain almost palpable.

What elevates Narrow the Road is its insistence that courage and friendship can endure even when hope falters. You don’t just root for William and his companions to survive—you hope they emerge uncrushed. In an interview, Wade said that, while his previous books set out to expose darkness, in this book he wanted to show the light that burns defiantly in it, offering a testament to resilience in the ruins.

[Jean Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book by author James Wade that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Set in rural East Texas during the Great Depression, I knew on page one that this book was gonna break my heart, and I wasn’t wrong.
Sixteen-year-old William lives on a farm with his sick mother. His father, Thomas Carter, is away, as he always seems to be, trying to help WWI veterans get money owed to them. When the local doctor says there’s no hope for his mom, except to get her to a hospital in Houston, William goes in search of his father. What he finds instead is something entirely different.
A bit like the Odyssey, reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn and more recently This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, the tale of William, his loyal friend Ollie, and girl on the run, Lena, will leave a mark on you, long after the last page is turned.
The writing is evocative. You can see the cotton, feel the heat and humidity of a scorching East Texas day. The description of the Big Thicket and its backward inhabitants pull you in so deep, you feel you’re walking along the railroad track with William.
Along the way, the trio meet and interact with a wide cast of characters — a few kind souls, most not, and some downright evil people. I especially appreciated the ‘witch in the woods.’ A diminutive, shotgun-toting healer with the ‘sight’. It is the witch who finally opens William’s eyes about his father and his demons, his own personal struggle, and sets him on the path home.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of Texas history, coming of age stories, and just a darn good read.

[Jann Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a uniquely Texas voice with echoes of McCarthy and Hemingway, James Wade’s historical coming-of-age journey, Narrow the Road, gives us a page-turning buddy story in Depression-era East that’s as entertaining as it is weighty. Unable to face the looming death of his cancer-stricken mother and too destitute to help her, 15-year-old William sets out to pursue his elusive father, bushwhacking through the lushly-described Piney Woods, while sparring with his droll pal, Ollie. Narrow the Road rewards with historical accuracy and regional realism as Wade vivdly paints William’s urgent desires that conflict with his moral choices. The boy’s hunt for his father is all the more challenging as he ponders, “How do you go about changing a future that’s always and only one moment away?” Ollie brings the comic relief with his wise-cracking wisdom to give respite to the dark drama of their plight. But there’s no facing up to hard truths for William until he befriends a middle-of-the-night thief, a girl he falls for who’s an ace tracker he decides to trust, despite Ollie’s warnings. Persistent in his certainty that “My belief ain’t required for a thing to be true,” William matures as he learns, too late, what he yearns for isn’t where he expected it to be.

[Tiffany Oliver McVay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Narrow the Road. James Wade has such a powerful way of writing. His words pull you right into the world he’s creating. The story is dark at times, but it’s also full of heart and hope. You can feel the weight of the land and the people in it.

What made this book especially interesting to me is that it takes place in the area where I’m from. I grew up in Angelina County, and I recognized so many of the towns and places mentioned throughout the story. It’s such a cool feeling to read a book and instantly picture the roads, the trees, the small towns, because I’ve actually been there. It made the whole story feel even more real and personal.

James really captures the tone and atmosphere of East Texas… the beauty, the toughness, and the sense of quiet strength that runs through the people and the land. I loved being able to connect with it on that level.

Wade’s storytelling feels both timeless and deeply rooted in place, weaving themes of redemption, loss, and resilience through prose that is lyrical yet unflinching. Bravo, James Wade!

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrow the Road by James Wade is a captivating coming-of-age historical fiction set in East Texas during the Great Depression. In this tale, we follow William Carter, a young man who is trying to keep his family’s farm afloat amidst drought and foreclosure, his mother’s illness, and the disappeareance of his father. After receiving a mysterious letter, William sets out to find his father. It’s during this journey where he meets his best friend (and mortician-in-training) Ollie. Together they encounter many characters, both dangerous and unconventional. And this is how they meet Lena, a runaway from. “medicine show” which leads to whole other heap of problems on their pursuit to find William’s father.

I found Wade’s story to be an exploration of what it mens to be resilient and loyal. The tale also describes the importance of friendship, loss, and betrayal. Truly, Narrow the Road is as if someone took the winding journeys of classic literature and brought it home to Texas.

This read is perfect for lovers of coming-of-age stories and adventurous tales.

[Lee Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1930s East Texas. William’s father is missing, his mother is dying, and the bank is about to take their farm.

William determines that he must find his father and return him home. With Ollie, his best friend, he sets off on an odyssey that leads them into great dangers. They meet up with Lena, another teenager, who has escaped from a medicine show and sticks with them.

These three are not Tom and Huck and Becky. The poverty is real. The violence is real. The sadness is real. And there is some magnificent writing, here describing a migrant caravan heading west.: There were old women and young children and there were proud, angry men and men who had already been broken. Men who walked by habit alone. Windup dolls of men who kept moving, kept breathing, but had been hollowed out long ago by a world that wouldn’t stop taking.

[Colin Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrow the Road is a mix of western adventure and Southern Gothic. The narrative follows a protagonist searching for his father.

The prose is solid and consistently elevates the story. The novel tackles heavier themes like loss and morality without coming off as preachy, while the humor lands well and provides much-needed comic relief.

This isn’t quite a can’t-put-it-down read, but that’s actually a strength. It unfolds at a steady pace and is never boring. Each encounter on the journey brings fully realized characters, each with a distinct, authentic voice. Wade has a remarkable knack for fleshing out characters so they feel real and memorable.

Overall, this is one of the best 2025 releases I’ve read so far. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys westerns or Southern Gothic, especially readers drawn to character-driven storytelling over plot-driven suspense.

[Brady Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t pull my mind away from yet another superb book from one of my favorite contemporary authors. The story pulls you in. The pain and heartbreak makes the so real they might as well be sitting in your living room. And the underlying message of hope amongst despair is so beautiful you need to take a deep breath after closing out a chapter. I just loved this book, and I hope more people discover Wade.

“I asked that he choose between his rage and his pain. In pain there is growth, there are the seeds of empathy and kindness and grace. In rage there is nothing. It is a mindless endeavor. Weak and unaccountable. But he was not ready to part with it. It has consumed him, I’m afraid. Will you let it consume you as well?”

“They need the lies … There was a time when everything we did was to survive, now everything we do is to distract ourselves from the fact that we won’t. The whole of humanity has turned to one distraction or another. What do I sell that the churches don’t? The fortune tellers, even the doctors - peddlers of lies, and who are we to blame them? Do we not tell ourselves lies?”

[Darcia Helle · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars aren’t enough.

I have gushed (and still do) about James Wade’s four previous books. NARROW THE ROAD, his fifth, has me sitting here like I’ve forgotten what words are or how they’re used.

Things to know:

Wade has an exceptional ear for dialogue. I could hear these characters speaking, all of them, each with a unique cadence and vocabulary.

We’re firmly planted in the setting and atmosphere. I’ve never been to Texas, and I wasn’t alive in the 1930s, yet I experienced every second of this story as if I were there.

Be prepared to FEEL everything. Wade’s writing is evocative. He knows that words have power, and he uses them with precision.

This story goes deep. Sure, you could give it a quick read and enjoy the journey. But if you take your time and let yourself fall into it, you’ll emerge emotionally wrung out but smiling from a transformative experience.