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Nitro Mountain
An astonishing, even shocking debut--darker than a bad night in hell--that is written with both humor and heart by "a writer with abundant and scary gifts and consummate skill."
Set in a bitterly benighted, mine-polluted corner of Virginia, Nitro Mountain follows a group of people bound together by alcohol, small-time crime, and music.
There's Leon, a hapless bass player who can embroil himself in trouble just by getting out of bed in the morning. And his would-be girlfriend, Jennifer, who's living with Arnett, the town's most dangerous thug--and hoping Leon will help poison him. And there's Arnett himself, a psychopath for the ages--albeit so charming and deranged, so strikingly authentic, that he arrests the reader's attention at first sight and holds it fast. His mirror image, a singer-songwriter named Jones, has his own moral issues, though at least he's trying to be a good man.
The bright if battered soul who pulls us through this story is Jennifer, struggling heroically to survive the endemic hopelessness and violence that have surrounded her since birth. Relentless? Yes. But nothing remotely gratuitous: only the pain and misery that inspire so much of the music these people love more than life itself.
Set in a bitterly benighted, mine-polluted corner of Virginia, Nitro Mountain follows a group of people bound together by alcohol, small-time crime, and music.
There's Leon, a hapless bass player who can embroil himself in trouble just by getting out of bed in the morning. And his would-be girlfriend, Jennifer, who's living with Arnett, the town's most dangerous thug--and hoping Leon will help poison him. And there's Arnett himself, a psychopath for the ages--albeit so charming and deranged, so strikingly authentic, that he arrests the reader's attention at first sight and holds it fast. His mirror image, a singer-songwriter named Jones, has his own moral issues, though at least he's trying to be a good man.
The bright if battered soul who pulls us through this story is Jennifer, struggling heroically to survive the endemic hopelessness and violence that have surrounded her since birth. Relentless? Yes. But nothing remotely gratuitous: only the pain and misery that inspire so much of the music these people love more than life itself.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 17, 2016
41 people are currently reading
1652 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
June 3, 2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I planned on being super organized and posting a string of books I read all in a row due to friends’ status updates even though I knew nothing about said books, but then I got sick and couldn’t stop blowing my nose or coughing and I got umpteen reviews behind and . . .
Anywho, obviously I failed at my latest endeavor. But to get back on track, it was the following status posted by Sandra that made my ears perk up . . . .
“The last time I’d been seriously drunk with Jennifer, she wanted to fight so bad that when I didn’t raise a hand she hit herself right in front of me. I begged her to quit as she threw her fist into her face over and over again, then said, “You coward, if you won’t do it, somebody’s got to.””
That little snippet was from Page 3 and it made me immediately run to the library to pick up a copy of Nitro Mountain.
Talk about a romance not meant to be happily ever after. Beyonce wouldn’t be servin’ up no Lemonade if she was writing about these two. It’d be more like Drunk In Love. You know what I’m talking about, right?
Or . . . .
Or even better . . .
Oh the Tumblr. It was a bounty of wonderment with this search (and I didn’t even get to all the “serfboardt” stuff – so many LOLz).
But to get back on track (again): be forewarned – the blurb states . . .
“An astonishing, even shocking debut--darker than a bad night in hell--that is written with both humor and heart by "a writer with abundant and scary gifts and consummate skill.”
If you believe in the Mitchell scale of darkness, you’ll probably find this one to be closer to dusk rather than “darker than a bad night in hell.” But if you like your fiction served up ensemble style and on the bleak and gritty side????
I planned on being super organized and posting a string of books I read all in a row due to friends’ status updates even though I knew nothing about said books, but then I got sick and couldn’t stop blowing my nose or coughing and I got umpteen reviews behind and . . .
Anywho, obviously I failed at my latest endeavor. But to get back on track, it was the following status posted by Sandra that made my ears perk up . . . .
“The last time I’d been seriously drunk with Jennifer, she wanted to fight so bad that when I didn’t raise a hand she hit herself right in front of me. I begged her to quit as she threw her fist into her face over and over again, then said, “You coward, if you won’t do it, somebody’s got to.””
That little snippet was from Page 3 and it made me immediately run to the library to pick up a copy of Nitro Mountain.
Talk about a romance not meant to be happily ever after. Beyonce wouldn’t be servin’ up no Lemonade if she was writing about these two. It’d be more like Drunk In Love. You know what I’m talking about, right?
Or . . . .
Or even better . . .
Oh the Tumblr. It was a bounty of wonderment with this search (and I didn’t even get to all the “serfboardt” stuff – so many LOLz).
But to get back on track (again): be forewarned – the blurb states . . .
“An astonishing, even shocking debut--darker than a bad night in hell--that is written with both humor and heart by "a writer with abundant and scary gifts and consummate skill.”
If you believe in the Mitchell scale of darkness, you’ll probably find this one to be closer to dusk rather than “darker than a bad night in hell.” But if you like your fiction served up ensemble style and on the bleak and gritty side????
May 18, 2016
This is one of those cases where things will go wrong just because they can.
"...Some folks say there’s two roads to follow
One leads to glory and the other down below
I tell you right now I see only one way
And if I stay here it’s my grave..."
A godforsaken former mining town on Nitro Mountain, where Leon, a broken armed bass player scraping by, Jones, a singer who just has to believe in himself, and Jennifer, Leon's love and would-be girlfriend, are trying to get through daily life. Connecting these three is Arnett, the local thug and one who would make the list of vilest fictional characters.
They all reside in the underbelly of society, and eventhough they sometimes try to get themselves out of there, it is just not meant to be. They are stuck and there is simply no way out.
"...about the truth of how people live around here, how such ugly shit happens in this beautiful place. This county, his home, no longer feels like home. And that makes him feel at home. "
Their despair is palplable throughout the story, the author did a good job on the grittinesss of the situations the characters often found themselves in. And eventhough I never really connected to the characters, I sometimes wanted to kick them for their actions. So if a book brings out such violent reactions out of me, it should at least get another star for that.
"The last time I’d been seriously drunk with Jennifer, she wanted to fight so bad that when I didn’t raise a hand she hit herself right in front of me. I begged her to quit as she threw her fist into her face over and over again, then said, “You coward, if you won’t do it, somebody’s got to.”"
Review copy supplied by publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a rating and/or review.
June 21, 2016
I wanted to like this book, but I found so much of it gratuitously grotesque. Arnett is Lester Ballard on crack (or Robot, Arnett's special blend of heroin and meth). When we first meet Arnett, he is live streaming a toilet cam on his Iphone in the backroom of Misty's and he shotguns an unwitting, broken-armed Leon with whatever drug Arnett's smoking. Insert 100 or so pages of hideous, increasingly graphic hillbilly noir. By the time I got to the chase with Arnett running Ballard-like from the local yokel cops (of course), hitting a buck with his car, smearing his face with buck blood and pulling and eating raw flesh from the animal, I was rolling my eyes at how utterly unbelievable Arnett was as a character.
The characters of Leon and Jones blended into each other; and Jenn/Rachel/Tiff/Natalie might as well have all been the same person, who (of course), has a "kiss my ass" tramp stamp. It might be intentional that so many of the characters are mirrors of each other, but the result is that we have too many characters and none of them are clearly distinguished from the other. The whole novel is one big blur of booze and drug fueled ugliness for the sake of ugliness, except for a brief "music/art can save you" moment between Larry and Jones, which seems weirdly out of place, although, I welcomed the break from blood and broken bones.
Because the novel has a place name, I expected the sense of place to be stronger, but it's all just kind of stock: dirty bars, dirtier motel rooms, etc.
I can't talk about Nitro Mountain without talking about Child of God. I'm not sure if Nitro Mountain is an homage to Child of God, but the gift that McCarthy has and that Johnson still has time to develop is that McCarthy does not overwrite. Johnson tells too much, goes too far, and his writing is so far up in his character (Arnett), that we lose the sense place and the sense of who the character is in the community. Unlike Child of God and Lester Ballard, we don't leave with the idea that Nitro Mountain created Arnett. That connection is never quite developed here.
The characters of Leon and Jones blended into each other; and Jenn/Rachel/Tiff/Natalie might as well have all been the same person, who (of course), has a "kiss my ass" tramp stamp. It might be intentional that so many of the characters are mirrors of each other, but the result is that we have too many characters and none of them are clearly distinguished from the other. The whole novel is one big blur of booze and drug fueled ugliness for the sake of ugliness, except for a brief "music/art can save you" moment between Larry and Jones, which seems weirdly out of place, although, I welcomed the break from blood and broken bones.
Because the novel has a place name, I expected the sense of place to be stronger, but it's all just kind of stock: dirty bars, dirtier motel rooms, etc.
I can't talk about Nitro Mountain without talking about Child of God. I'm not sure if Nitro Mountain is an homage to Child of God, but the gift that McCarthy has and that Johnson still has time to develop is that McCarthy does not overwrite. Johnson tells too much, goes too far, and his writing is so far up in his character (Arnett), that we lose the sense place and the sense of who the character is in the community. Unlike Child of God and Lester Ballard, we don't leave with the idea that Nitro Mountain created Arnett. That connection is never quite developed here.
May 24, 2016
Just finished reading this! LOVED it so much! The first quarter or so wasn't that gripping, but the book became unputdownable in a matter of a couple of pages. The ending was fantastic. So much of it is about the darkness and evil that comes out of poverty and living an unfulfilled and bleak lifestyle. Definitely a must read if you're into rural crime fiction. VERY few characters are likeable, most will make you wonder whatever the hell is wrong with them and almost all will intrigue you. Loved it!
Thank you to Anna Dobben from Penguin Random House for sending me the book!
Thank you to Anna Dobben from Penguin Random House for sending me the book!
October 21, 2016
Dark side of America...weak ending
This book is chock full of red state dispossessed: drunks, meth heads, pill poppers, the homeless, abused women, pedophiles and more. Cigarettes and whiskey on just about every page. The characters are believable and interesting and the story engaging.
Until the end. The third part of the book brings us a change in narrator, and it is anticlimactic and forced. After being unable to put the book down and plowing through the first two sections in two nights (each followed by troubling dreams) the third section, the ending, was a huge letdown.
Good book. Weak ending that pushed it from four stars down to three and almost to two stars.
This book is chock full of red state dispossessed: drunks, meth heads, pill poppers, the homeless, abused women, pedophiles and more. Cigarettes and whiskey on just about every page. The characters are believable and interesting and the story engaging.
Until the end. The third part of the book brings us a change in narrator, and it is anticlimactic and forced. After being unable to put the book down and plowing through the first two sections in two nights (each followed by troubling dreams) the third section, the ending, was a huge letdown.
Good book. Weak ending that pushed it from four stars down to three and almost to two stars.
May 25, 2016
Country noir cringe lit for losers and the lost. Readers of Andrew F. Sullivan and Scott McClanahan will eat this up. Lee Clay Johnson is part of a small army of MFA grads that grew up with Disney happy endings on their screens determined to swing the pendulum in the other direction.
Read
October 27, 2025Ik hoop oprecht dat deze guy dit boek heeft geschreven voor de grap want wtf
June 1, 2021
All over the place. Disturbing and pathetic characters with no redeeming qualities. Gave it two stars instead of one because I was frightened the characters would haunt me if I didn't. :-D They were insane and high, and not in a good fun way lol.
January 3, 2017
The man knows how to write good sentences.
April 24, 2018
Olá!!
Encontrei este livro numa loja em Londres com o nome de Any Amount of Books. É neste momento a minha loja de livros usados favorita e um excelente sitio para encontrar relíquias. Para mim esta foi uma delas. Estava com novo e a capa é tão bonita que não lhe resisti...
Estou indecisa entre dar 3 ou 4 estrelas a este livro. Tem potencial para ser excelente, mas há qualquer coisa que está em falta para isso acontecer. Por vezes a narrativa é um pouco confusa e pouco detalhada mas a história é muito interessante e a escrita é boa... só queria mais deste livro! queria saber mais das personagens e do seu quotidiano... penso que é isso que está um pouco em falta para mim.
No entanto, recomendo! É um bom livro! :)
Encontrei este livro numa loja em Londres com o nome de Any Amount of Books. É neste momento a minha loja de livros usados favorita e um excelente sitio para encontrar relíquias. Para mim esta foi uma delas. Estava com novo e a capa é tão bonita que não lhe resisti...
Estou indecisa entre dar 3 ou 4 estrelas a este livro. Tem potencial para ser excelente, mas há qualquer coisa que está em falta para isso acontecer. Por vezes a narrativa é um pouco confusa e pouco detalhada mas a história é muito interessante e a escrita é boa... só queria mais deste livro! queria saber mais das personagens e do seu quotidiano... penso que é isso que está um pouco em falta para mim.
No entanto, recomendo! É um bom livro! :)
December 5, 2025
Great book but I unfortunately left it on the plane...Had only about 50 pages left too. Still going to give it 5 stars as I have loved Lee Clay Johnson's writing style and storytelling.
July 3, 2020
Niet uitgelezen, wat een nare sfeer. Kan de personages ook niet volgen, ik begrijp ze niet, en wil ze ook niet begrijpen...
October 23, 2016
Het leven van veel mensen in een voormalig mijnstadje in West-Virgina gaat niet altijd over rozen. Vooral niet als je geen baan hebt en weer bij je ouders moet gaan wonen, of als je vriendin je laat zitten, omdat ze een behoorlijk verwarde geest heeft. Maar wat doe je dan als je bloedmooie ex je vraagt haar huidige vriend, die gewelddadig is, om zeep te helpen? Je bent een jonge knul, je bent in moeilijkheden geraakt, je hebt schulden, je arm is gebroken en je muziekcarrière als bassist in een countryband is in de knop gesmoord. Je denkt niet met je hoofd, je denkt met je hart en met je piemel.
Drie van de hoofdpersonen zijn behoorlijk aan lager wal geraakt: er is veel drank en vooral illegale eigenstook, er zijn drugs, vooral ‘crystal meth’, er is veel geweld, er is altijd gebrek aan geld, en wat vooral ontbreekt is vooruitzicht op een toekomst.
In deel 1 leven we mee met de wederwaardigheden van Leon, die weer bij zijn ouders is gaan wonen. Zijn moeder werkt om in een gezinsinkomen te voorzien; zijn vader is ziek en/of alcoholist en junk. Leons vriendin houdt van stoere, linke mannen, die haar vooral laten voelen wie de baas is en Leon is te lief voor haar.
In deel 2 maken we het hele hectische leven van Arnett mee, een achtbaan met vrije vallen, over de kop-gaanders en schroefdraaien veroorzaakt door eigengestookte drank uit mais, methamfetaminen, enorme pistolen met grote lopen, oude auto’s, sm-achtige en voyeuristische seks, totaal geen respect voor de wet, ga zo maar door.
In deel 3 probeert Jennifer, die eerst de vriendin was van Leon en toen van Arnett, een nieuw leven op te bouwen. En dat lukt haar uiteindelijk heel aardig - let wel: de laatste uitspraak is cryptisch; lees het boek maar -.
Er spelen nog heel veel meer mensen mee. Ik heb er op een gegeven moment maar een lijstje van gemaakt. Allemaal mensen aan wie een behoorlijke steek aan los is en die hun eigen, geheime en gevaarlijke motieven hebben.
Het boek sleept je helemaal mee in de wereld van deze ‘low-lifes’, marginale halve of hele criminelen, die wonen aan de voet van een gehavende berg, ‘Nitro Mountain’, die natuurlijk niet echt zo heet, maar de ‘koosnaam’ is van een berg, die ten behoeve van de mijnbouw, voor de helft is weggeëxplodeerd.
Rauw is het leven van de mensen, prachtig is de natuur, die alsmaar schitterend blijft. Groot is de tegenstelling tussen de schurken en de junks en de natuur, die onverstoorbaar haar gang gaat. De roodkopgier, de doodsaanroeper; de uil, die jou ziet in het donker en je schrik aanjaagt; het hert en de wasbeer die je auto over de kop doen slaan. De bomen, die ruisen; de hemel, die zo onpeilbaar diep en duister is; de sterren, die blijven tollen - vooral in een dronken kop.
Niet veel voorstellingsvermogen is nodig om deze auteur, Lee Clay Johnson, te vergelijken met iemand als David Vann, die immers ook schrijft over mensen aan de moeilijke kant van het bestaan en met name de heftigheid daarvan. Ook de titel ‘Nitro Mountain‘ doet sterk denken aan Vanns roman met de titel ‘Goat Mountain’.
Ik ben een groot fan van de romans van Vann. De immensheid van menselijke gevoelens, duistere gedachten, hallucinaties, waandenkbeelden en het onvermogen om werkelijk contact te maken met de medemens, is enerzijds niet te overtreffen en anderzijds ongelooflijk indringend en vlijmscherp beschreven.
Lee Clay Johnson schrijft anders; wel is zijn roman heel heftig, de stijl is anders. Rauwer, veel spreektaal, ‘slang’ dus eigenlijk.
Er komen in deze roman veel meer personages voor. De muziek - countrymuziek - speelt een grote rol; de rol vooral van redder der mensen. Doe iets met je verdriet, met je ellende: schrijf een song en speel het, zoals muzikant Jones doet. Daardoor wordt Jones gered. Countrymuziek is voor de blanke wat blues is voor de zwarte mens.
Vrolijk word je er niet van, van deze ellende. Het deed me ook denken aan een serie als ‘True Detective’. Het verhaal is heel erg beeldend geschreven. Het kwam me voor dat er veel films en series in dit genre gemaakt worden, minder boeken. Cormac McCarthey met bijvoorbeeld ‘No Country for Old Men’ - waarnaar een film is gemaakt - is ook zo’n auteur.
Ik wil ook de vertalers een compliment geven; het is niet makkelijk dit soort ‘slang’ te vertalen. In het begin moest ik er ook wel een beetje aan wennen.
Een uitstekend debuut, een meeslepende roman, en ik ben enorm benieuwd naar Lee Clay Johnsons volgende boek.
Drie van de hoofdpersonen zijn behoorlijk aan lager wal geraakt: er is veel drank en vooral illegale eigenstook, er zijn drugs, vooral ‘crystal meth’, er is veel geweld, er is altijd gebrek aan geld, en wat vooral ontbreekt is vooruitzicht op een toekomst.
In deel 1 leven we mee met de wederwaardigheden van Leon, die weer bij zijn ouders is gaan wonen. Zijn moeder werkt om in een gezinsinkomen te voorzien; zijn vader is ziek en/of alcoholist en junk. Leons vriendin houdt van stoere, linke mannen, die haar vooral laten voelen wie de baas is en Leon is te lief voor haar.
In deel 2 maken we het hele hectische leven van Arnett mee, een achtbaan met vrije vallen, over de kop-gaanders en schroefdraaien veroorzaakt door eigengestookte drank uit mais, methamfetaminen, enorme pistolen met grote lopen, oude auto’s, sm-achtige en voyeuristische seks, totaal geen respect voor de wet, ga zo maar door.
In deel 3 probeert Jennifer, die eerst de vriendin was van Leon en toen van Arnett, een nieuw leven op te bouwen. En dat lukt haar uiteindelijk heel aardig - let wel: de laatste uitspraak is cryptisch; lees het boek maar -.
Er spelen nog heel veel meer mensen mee. Ik heb er op een gegeven moment maar een lijstje van gemaakt. Allemaal mensen aan wie een behoorlijke steek aan los is en die hun eigen, geheime en gevaarlijke motieven hebben.
Het boek sleept je helemaal mee in de wereld van deze ‘low-lifes’, marginale halve of hele criminelen, die wonen aan de voet van een gehavende berg, ‘Nitro Mountain’, die natuurlijk niet echt zo heet, maar de ‘koosnaam’ is van een berg, die ten behoeve van de mijnbouw, voor de helft is weggeëxplodeerd.
Rauw is het leven van de mensen, prachtig is de natuur, die alsmaar schitterend blijft. Groot is de tegenstelling tussen de schurken en de junks en de natuur, die onverstoorbaar haar gang gaat. De roodkopgier, de doodsaanroeper; de uil, die jou ziet in het donker en je schrik aanjaagt; het hert en de wasbeer die je auto over de kop doen slaan. De bomen, die ruisen; de hemel, die zo onpeilbaar diep en duister is; de sterren, die blijven tollen - vooral in een dronken kop.
Niet veel voorstellingsvermogen is nodig om deze auteur, Lee Clay Johnson, te vergelijken met iemand als David Vann, die immers ook schrijft over mensen aan de moeilijke kant van het bestaan en met name de heftigheid daarvan. Ook de titel ‘Nitro Mountain‘ doet sterk denken aan Vanns roman met de titel ‘Goat Mountain’.
Ik ben een groot fan van de romans van Vann. De immensheid van menselijke gevoelens, duistere gedachten, hallucinaties, waandenkbeelden en het onvermogen om werkelijk contact te maken met de medemens, is enerzijds niet te overtreffen en anderzijds ongelooflijk indringend en vlijmscherp beschreven.
Lee Clay Johnson schrijft anders; wel is zijn roman heel heftig, de stijl is anders. Rauwer, veel spreektaal, ‘slang’ dus eigenlijk.
Er komen in deze roman veel meer personages voor. De muziek - countrymuziek - speelt een grote rol; de rol vooral van redder der mensen. Doe iets met je verdriet, met je ellende: schrijf een song en speel het, zoals muzikant Jones doet. Daardoor wordt Jones gered. Countrymuziek is voor de blanke wat blues is voor de zwarte mens.
Vrolijk word je er niet van, van deze ellende. Het deed me ook denken aan een serie als ‘True Detective’. Het verhaal is heel erg beeldend geschreven. Het kwam me voor dat er veel films en series in dit genre gemaakt worden, minder boeken. Cormac McCarthey met bijvoorbeeld ‘No Country for Old Men’ - waarnaar een film is gemaakt - is ook zo’n auteur.
Ik wil ook de vertalers een compliment geven; het is niet makkelijk dit soort ‘slang’ te vertalen. In het begin moest ik er ook wel een beetje aan wennen.
Een uitstekend debuut, een meeslepende roman, en ik ben enorm benieuwd naar Lee Clay Johnsons volgende boek.
July 2, 2025
Read this in two-days flat, absolute page-turner flush with drama & intrigue from page one! Lee Clay Johnson crafts three incredibly memorable protagonists; his use of perspective throughout the novel achieves an unsettling realism that mimics the trajectory of the character's lives. The dialogue is entertaining & devastating in equal measure. In form & content, Nitro Mountain teaches the reader that some people that leave can't stay gone for long & that people can be as depraved as they are forgiving. With LCJ's second book coming out in a few days, I'm looking forward to reading more of his fantastic writing!
July 8, 2016
This novel is not for everyone but for me, I really enjoyed it. In fact, this is my second novel that has had this Appalachian vibe to it. I would like to read more novels that have this type of setting as I find them interesting. It’s not a fast-paced novel or one where I was sitting on the edge of my seat, no these novels have a consistent and steady flow to them. There might be a moment where things are intense but normally it is this consistency, the characters and their lives that I find most enjoyable about these novels.
I was taken to the hills where the splo was kept in jars and it wasn’t just weed that folks were smoking but a combination of sorts that would mess with your mind if you didn’t watch yourself. This moonshine was the drink of choice and the bars were where the action was taking place. The characters inside this novel made it a success. Arnett was ruthless, you didn’t want him on your bad side for this guy had no limits. He thought and he operated as if he was above all else and no one could stop him. Funny thing though, there weren’t any specific characters that I especially liked as I read along. They all played their part, some more than others but there wasn’t one character that I felt attached to. Jennifer, that girl should have hit the road a while ago but where was she to go? The mountain had claimed her. Jones, I thought he had the most potential out of the bunch. He was to me, the individual who was able to remain sober the longest. Leon, oh Leon, this guy made me laugh. He loved his liquor and he had high hopes for his future. It was the mountain, Nitro; this mountain captured its residents and held onto them. Dreams and futures were discussed, their plans were considered. These individuals knew each other and they tolerated one another until something got underneath their skin. The alcohol and/or the drugs that flowed so freely didn’t help the situation any but that is just the way it is on Nitro. It’s life.
I was taken to the hills where the splo was kept in jars and it wasn’t just weed that folks were smoking but a combination of sorts that would mess with your mind if you didn’t watch yourself. This moonshine was the drink of choice and the bars were where the action was taking place. The characters inside this novel made it a success. Arnett was ruthless, you didn’t want him on your bad side for this guy had no limits. He thought and he operated as if he was above all else and no one could stop him. Funny thing though, there weren’t any specific characters that I especially liked as I read along. They all played their part, some more than others but there wasn’t one character that I felt attached to. Jennifer, that girl should have hit the road a while ago but where was she to go? The mountain had claimed her. Jones, I thought he had the most potential out of the bunch. He was to me, the individual who was able to remain sober the longest. Leon, oh Leon, this guy made me laugh. He loved his liquor and he had high hopes for his future. It was the mountain, Nitro; this mountain captured its residents and held onto them. Dreams and futures were discussed, their plans were considered. These individuals knew each other and they tolerated one another until something got underneath their skin. The alcohol and/or the drugs that flowed so freely didn’t help the situation any but that is just the way it is on Nitro. It’s life.
July 31, 2016
Nitro Mountain follows the lives of a number of lower class people from a forsaken mining-town.
The quality of this short novel lies in the brutal and honest way, life on the bottom-end of the social ladder is depicted. Very dark, very scary, very hopeless: There is no silver lining. Nitro Mountain shows with insightful clarity how narrowed and restricted living without perspective is. Things that these from hardship and violence shaped characters do or that happen to them, are viewed as normal and legitimate, because they can’t imagine it any other way.
“Nitro Mountain” is a story of bloody violence and crime and bleakness. But the most terrifying part is how the characters view their own lives and defend their questionable actions. This is a story so shocking and raw, it’ll stay with me for a while.
However, these character’s heads are not a place I would want to stay at for longer than absolutely necessary. I was glad and relieved when I finished Nitro Mountain.
The quality of this short novel lies in the brutal and honest way, life on the bottom-end of the social ladder is depicted. Very dark, very scary, very hopeless: There is no silver lining. Nitro Mountain shows with insightful clarity how narrowed and restricted living without perspective is. Things that these from hardship and violence shaped characters do or that happen to them, are viewed as normal and legitimate, because they can’t imagine it any other way.
“Nitro Mountain” is a story of bloody violence and crime and bleakness. But the most terrifying part is how the characters view their own lives and defend their questionable actions. This is a story so shocking and raw, it’ll stay with me for a while.
“Do you know what growing up means? It means learning to beat a woman. Trying to kill a man. Posting (…) with a loaded gun and waiting to deal with the consequences of what you’ve done.”
However, these character’s heads are not a place I would want to stay at for longer than absolutely necessary. I was glad and relieved when I finished Nitro Mountain.
May 13, 2017
This short and fast, gritty, noir style novel never runs down. You think the characters will get a break, but that's not the way life is, and that's not the way Johnson writes it either. The circuitous existence of these small town screw-ups escalates and comes back around, and means nothing, and never changes . . . but maybe it does for someone. If only someone can break out of the cycle of violence and addiction.
I liked that many of the characters acted as foils for one another, mirroring each others' paths through the book, actions, and even thoughts. That was a very interesting tactic that had me thinking about the repetitive nature of the small town life and how difficult it was for the characters to break their molds to actually do something. There is very little to redeem these characters, but they felt apathetic and real.
Johnson definitely has a Cormac McCarthy vibe, but it isn't quite as subtle as McCarthy. He will lay out everything for you to see, but I was still surprised by the story. Well-crafted and surprising.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy.
I liked that many of the characters acted as foils for one another, mirroring each others' paths through the book, actions, and even thoughts. That was a very interesting tactic that had me thinking about the repetitive nature of the small town life and how difficult it was for the characters to break their molds to actually do something. There is very little to redeem these characters, but they felt apathetic and real.
Johnson definitely has a Cormac McCarthy vibe, but it isn't quite as subtle as McCarthy. He will lay out everything for you to see, but I was still surprised by the story. Well-crafted and surprising.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy.
June 7, 2016
Having just read a different, great "grit lit" book Sweetgirl, I should have waited to read this book as it is in the same vein, however I feel I would still dislike this book.
I found the first half both boring and revolting. The violence and pathetic characters made me feel like I needed a shower. I guess there are people like this, but I do not have to spend my leisure time with them. There is a way to write about those who are damaged, broken without reveling in their despair. For me this book seemed to relish the horrific behavior and filth in the lives of these characters. There is no redemption, no goodness, no hope. When a book makes me feel like a victim deserves what they get, well that it disturbing!
I found the first half both boring and revolting. The violence and pathetic characters made me feel like I needed a shower. I guess there are people like this, but I do not have to spend my leisure time with them. There is a way to write about those who are damaged, broken without reveling in their despair. For me this book seemed to relish the horrific behavior and filth in the lives of these characters. There is no redemption, no goodness, no hope. When a book makes me feel like a victim deserves what they get, well that it disturbing!
March 6, 2017
The sun breaks through for a moment, a psychotic lamp without location.
This book did not exactly challenge my idea of Appalachia as, you know, a dingy hellscape of addicts and murderers—so perhaps don’t read it if you’re a coastal bleeding heart trying to build empathy with Real America. I had the same experience with Nitro Mountain as I do with a lot of books described on the jacket as funny—that is, I did not find it funny at all. I can’t conceive of Jennifer as “heroic,” and I don’t know in what fucking universe Arnette is “charming.” Charming? Good god.
Lee Clay Johnson, though—uh, I am sure charmed with him. His writing is stone-cold and clean; his story vivid, brisk, and genuinely surprising at several points along the way. I would love to know if he’s married when his next book comes out!
August 8, 2025
Meh, I didn’t really have expectations beforehand since this was a random library book I picked up but I did like the sound of the book. I didn’t necessarily dislike this book because a few parts grabbed me and kept my interest but the book contains so many extraneous details that it feels very overwritten. There’s also not really a distinct sense of place so there’s nothing to compare the characters world with the world around them. The characters weren’t very distinct and apart from the main three characters I couldn’t really remember anything about the rest of them. I like the storyline in general but the ending isn’t very hopeful and it seems like they have learnt nothing by the end of it
February 5, 2017
Language was impressive and gripping, storyline was decent but never took ahold of me--just never felt that desperation to know what would happen or felt desperate worrying about what might. Lack of character development might have been the culprit. There were a lot of interesting souls depicted in this book but not a one of them did I ache for. Something was missing, pathos-wise. Despite the masterful scene-setting, I never felt quite let in to what was truly there.
December 2, 2017
-2.75
-crazy Tennessee mountain story about a crazy guy who first gets arrested for putting a camera in a toilet of a women’s restroom
-then secludes himself on a mountain where he just makes drugs and beats his gf
-gf enlists another guy to kill him but the crazy guy doesn’t die and goes on a killing rampage
-the gf escapes and crazy guy goes to jail but he gets out and finds her
-lots of unconnected characters, wobbly plot
-crazy Tennessee mountain story about a crazy guy who first gets arrested for putting a camera in a toilet of a women’s restroom
-then secludes himself on a mountain where he just makes drugs and beats his gf
-gf enlists another guy to kill him but the crazy guy doesn’t die and goes on a killing rampage
-the gf escapes and crazy guy goes to jail but he gets out and finds her
-lots of unconnected characters, wobbly plot
July 18, 2016
The first chapter/section was solid; Johnson creates an intriguing character in Leon but everyone else I can't help but hate, which made me pity Leon even more. The rest of the novel is flat and dull and I couldn't care about any of it anyway with Leon gone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2017
Set in the culture of drugs and depression of rural America, this book is dark and disturbing. Quick, entertaining, not too taxing read. If you like books with fucked up stories about fucked up people, this is a good one.
January 3, 2017
Justified on really bad acid.
April 3, 2018
Very well written, but a very dark outlook on life.
January 2, 2018
Cloaked in hillbilly noir and backwoods mystique, Nitro Mountain tells a story of a small, decrepit mining town and its violent underbelly. Leon, an aimless bass player lining for his lost love Jennifer, agrees to a pact to kill her current lover Arnett, the town’s psychotic drug dealer. The ripple affects of these actions rumble throughout the community, as the locals try to keep their heads down and the small pool of heroes try to brings Arnett down.
The story weaves together murder, torture, drugs, domestic abuse, and music to create a dark image of the terror lining the stomach of Bordon, Virginia. Johnson nails the eerie, grimy tone of backwoods mystery. He paints with extremely gratuitous brush strokes, never shying away from gory violence and revolting levels of misogyny. My particularly favorite-but-most-hated line appears just eight pages in, when Leon describes an empty diner. “Chairs were upside down on the tables and I could see all their legs in the air, a hundred little whores taking it.” Punny, right?
The book jumps between perspectives, taking us first through Leon’s eyes. He is abruptly killed off, a gutsy move for a first-person novel, and we are then shoved into the view from Jones’ corner, a local musician, as well as several their locals who largely seem to just be spectating on the madness within the town. It’s during this phase that we also are allowed into the head of Arnett. Arnett is one truly crazy dude. His violence knows no bounds, and his attitude toward Jessica is....appalling to say the least. If you like a brutal villain, look no further. If you hate characters motivated by women-hating, stay far away from this book. Finally, we are able to conclude with Jessica’s point of view. Now a battered woman-in-hiding, she continues to subject herself to terrible men. Her fragile mind has accepted the terrors long forces upon her by disrespectful men. So when Arnett reappears, she is swallowed up in his rage one final time. This was the shortest section, but one of the strongest in the book. Despite all the horrid ravaged upon her by Arnett, her PTSD-stricken psyche still feels guilty for her own actions. This section is an infuriating and heartbreaking glimpse into the mind of abuse survivors.
The shifts between perspectives happen quickly for such a short book, so the first and final portions of the book feel jittery, leaving the middle as a happily bulky section of uninterrupted action. Again, I reiterate, if you don’t jive with descriptive brutality and graphic violence toward women, don’t come near this book. However, I think Johnson really succeeded in creating a creepy and incredibly dark tale of rural horror, complete with vivid southern gothic tones and the slow-burn intrigue of a crime thriller.
The story weaves together murder, torture, drugs, domestic abuse, and music to create a dark image of the terror lining the stomach of Bordon, Virginia. Johnson nails the eerie, grimy tone of backwoods mystery. He paints with extremely gratuitous brush strokes, never shying away from gory violence and revolting levels of misogyny. My particularly favorite-but-most-hated line appears just eight pages in, when Leon describes an empty diner. “Chairs were upside down on the tables and I could see all their legs in the air, a hundred little whores taking it.” Punny, right?
The book jumps between perspectives, taking us first through Leon’s eyes. He is abruptly killed off, a gutsy move for a first-person novel, and we are then shoved into the view from Jones’ corner, a local musician, as well as several their locals who largely seem to just be spectating on the madness within the town. It’s during this phase that we also are allowed into the head of Arnett. Arnett is one truly crazy dude. His violence knows no bounds, and his attitude toward Jessica is....appalling to say the least. If you like a brutal villain, look no further. If you hate characters motivated by women-hating, stay far away from this book. Finally, we are able to conclude with Jessica’s point of view. Now a battered woman-in-hiding, she continues to subject herself to terrible men. Her fragile mind has accepted the terrors long forces upon her by disrespectful men. So when Arnett reappears, she is swallowed up in his rage one final time. This was the shortest section, but one of the strongest in the book. Despite all the horrid ravaged upon her by Arnett, her PTSD-stricken psyche still feels guilty for her own actions. This section is an infuriating and heartbreaking glimpse into the mind of abuse survivors.
The shifts between perspectives happen quickly for such a short book, so the first and final portions of the book feel jittery, leaving the middle as a happily bulky section of uninterrupted action. Again, I reiterate, if you don’t jive with descriptive brutality and graphic violence toward women, don’t come near this book. However, I think Johnson really succeeded in creating a creepy and incredibly dark tale of rural horror, complete with vivid southern gothic tones and the slow-burn intrigue of a crime thriller.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2019
This is some rural noir, grit lit right here. Straight up Appalachia depravity.
It takes a lot of courage to admit I like this stuff. It's so redneck, so hideous, so shocking, so polar opposite of life as I know it.
Probably why I'm obsessed with Ozark (on Netflix).
The draw isn't the drug cartel and money laundering. I am obsessed with the Langmores: Ruth, Wyatt, Russ...all they have is crushing poverty and nimble wits. (Usually.)
Enough about Ozark, though.
In this story, we meet Leon, a 25 year old bassist. Things he has: debt, a DUI, a broken arm. Things he doesn't have: motivation, hope, plans for the future.
His ex-girlfriend, Jennifer, who is insanely jealous of Rachel, who casually hooked up with Leon...oh, and she goes missing.
Arnett, a nasty pig that gets busted for livestreaming activity from the ladies' room at Durty Misty's, one of two local watering holes.
Jones, a wanna-be country music star.
A bunch of other sad, destitute souls.
And my favorite: Turner, who was kicked off the police force...but God love him, he Xeroxed his badge and continues to serve and protect his community (but with a crossbow, not a gun, since he isn't allowed to have a gun and he's a law-abiding citizen). The excitement of being a vigilante causes him to break out in hives. On his balls.
That's some pretty solid character development, right?
Unfortunately, the story falls flat. I literally got to 'The End' and was like, "WTF actually happened?" There were 3 different narrators, and no warning that the voice of the story suddenly changed. In some ways, it was all intertwined, and in other ways, nothing made sense. I wanted to give this more stars...two is generous.
It takes a lot of courage to admit I like this stuff. It's so redneck, so hideous, so shocking, so polar opposite of life as I know it.
Probably why I'm obsessed with Ozark (on Netflix).
The draw isn't the drug cartel and money laundering. I am obsessed with the Langmores: Ruth, Wyatt, Russ...all they have is crushing poverty and nimble wits. (Usually.)
Enough about Ozark, though.
In this story, we meet Leon, a 25 year old bassist. Things he has: debt, a DUI, a broken arm. Things he doesn't have: motivation, hope, plans for the future.
His ex-girlfriend, Jennifer, who is insanely jealous of Rachel, who casually hooked up with Leon...oh, and she goes missing.
Arnett, a nasty pig that gets busted for livestreaming activity from the ladies' room at Durty Misty's, one of two local watering holes.
Jones, a wanna-be country music star.
A bunch of other sad, destitute souls.
And my favorite: Turner, who was kicked off the police force...but God love him, he Xeroxed his badge and continues to serve and protect his community (but with a crossbow, not a gun, since he isn't allowed to have a gun and he's a law-abiding citizen). The excitement of being a vigilante causes him to break out in hives. On his balls.
That's some pretty solid character development, right?
Unfortunately, the story falls flat. I literally got to 'The End' and was like, "WTF actually happened?" There were 3 different narrators, and no warning that the voice of the story suddenly changed. In some ways, it was all intertwined, and in other ways, nothing made sense. I wanted to give this more stars...two is generous.
April 18, 2025
If I ever start to feel bad about some of my life choices, all I have to do is think of this book's central characters and I'm sure to feel better. I've done some things I regret, no question about it, but I've never chosen alcohol as therapy, smoked or manufactured crack, organized a bathroom camera recording and distribution system, bullied, batteried and murdered animals and fellow humans or been irresistably drawn to someone who did all the aforementioned things.
This book was weird in structure and content. The first part follows the life of a low-achieving 20-something country and bluegrass bass player and his messed up love life. The second part centers on a truly psychotic criminal and an ex-cop who's just about as crazy (who also happens to be my favorite character). The last part is dark and doesn't bring much resolution. Nitro Mountain is a little bit thriller, a little bit lit-fic, a lot bizarre.
Something about the narrative felt shallow and surface-level to me. I can't put my finger on why. It's not that the author didn't weave in back story and make us understand why the characters did what they did. The storytelling just felt distant.
All in all, I didn't care a lot for the beginning or the end -- the parts where people were making aforementioned terrible decisions. I think that is my LEAST favorite thing in fiction, watching characters slowly self-destruct. The middle, however, was sublime. It was very dark, very funny, an awful, insane, exhilarating ride.
I gave it a 4, based mainly on that amazing middle portion.
This book was weird in structure and content. The first part follows the life of a low-achieving 20-something country and bluegrass bass player and his messed up love life. The second part centers on a truly psychotic criminal and an ex-cop who's just about as crazy (who also happens to be my favorite character). The last part is dark and doesn't bring much resolution. Nitro Mountain is a little bit thriller, a little bit lit-fic, a lot bizarre.
Something about the narrative felt shallow and surface-level to me. I can't put my finger on why. It's not that the author didn't weave in back story and make us understand why the characters did what they did. The storytelling just felt distant.
All in all, I didn't care a lot for the beginning or the end -- the parts where people were making aforementioned terrible decisions. I think that is my LEAST favorite thing in fiction, watching characters slowly self-destruct. The middle, however, was sublime. It was very dark, very funny, an awful, insane, exhilarating ride.
I gave it a 4, based mainly on that amazing middle portion.
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