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Route 12
Route 12 is two haunting novellas set in Appalachia in the seventies and eighties. These are stories of people down on their luck--a girl crippled by a bad dose of polio vaccine, a young pregnant woman with no one to turn to, a mother desperate for cash who makes a terrible mistake. In this debut book from Marietta Miles, God's country is as corrupt as any place on earth and trusting anyone is a dangerous proposition.
"Miles rolls on instinct infused with raw talent, utilizing a palate of emotion to repaint what we thought was southern noir, turning it into something new, something poignant, something entirely hers." --Tom Pitts, author of Hustle and Knuckleball
"Marietta Miles excels at snapshots—behind the walls of the old farmhouses you pass on the beaten country roads. These are the places we don’t think about, with their rickety fences and sun-beaten paint jobs, the dirty kid in overalls on the porch. But perhaps we should. Because far from the glitz and glamour of the city, Miles shines a far more glaring the one on what it means to be human, desperate to be heard, seen, loved. These are the stories of the forgotten, the lost, the damned Americans." -- Joe Clifford, Lamentation and December Boys
"Miles rolls on instinct infused with raw talent, utilizing a palate of emotion to repaint what we thought was southern noir, turning it into something new, something poignant, something entirely hers." --Tom Pitts, author of Hustle and Knuckleball
"Marietta Miles excels at snapshots—behind the walls of the old farmhouses you pass on the beaten country roads. These are the places we don’t think about, with their rickety fences and sun-beaten paint jobs, the dirty kid in overalls on the porch. But perhaps we should. Because far from the glitz and glamour of the city, Miles shines a far more glaring the one on what it means to be human, desperate to be heard, seen, loved. These are the stories of the forgotten, the lost, the damned Americans." -- Joe Clifford, Lamentation and December Boys
178 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
3 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Marietta Miles
13 books19 followersI am lucky...flash and shorts published with Flash Fiction Offensive, Thrill Kills and Chaos, Revolt Daily, Yellow Mama and more. I have stories in several Static Movement and Thirteen O'Clock anthologies. My first two novellas are now available through All Due Respect Books. The guys at ADR are the best. I live in Virginia with my husband and two kids.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 29, 2021
In these two novellas set in rural America, the author takes you to places you don't want to visit, where downtrodden characters have the life, or at least the will to live, beaten out of them. Bad things happen to just about everyone, particularly the female characters - so be prepared to cringe and sigh. Miles' tales are dark, and unpleasant, and ultimately, unforgettable.
January 5, 2020
To Kill A Mockingbird meets Jim Thompson. These are tales of rural Applachia, tales of impoverished towns in the seventies. Told with literary zest that should prove to be award-winning, Miles does not just give us backcountry noir, but in two brief novellas, she opens up a whole world of people living in small towns, lonely, needy, and physically and emotionally battered.
Although at first it may seem like a rural coming-of-age story, watch out because there is a hurricane here of child beatings, foster homes, orphanages, murder, rape, viciousness, callousness, suicide, out-of-wedlock expectant girls, crippled children, and teenage hell raisers.
What makes it all work and makes it more than just another deadend moonshine tale is the sparse descriptions that bring these people to life and the sense of reallness to it. This is one author to follow. Expect really big things from her.
Although at first it may seem like a rural coming-of-age story, watch out because there is a hurricane here of child beatings, foster homes, orphanages, murder, rape, viciousness, callousness, suicide, out-of-wedlock expectant girls, crippled children, and teenage hell raisers.
What makes it all work and makes it more than just another deadend moonshine tale is the sparse descriptions that bring these people to life and the sense of reallness to it. This is one author to follow. Expect really big things from her.
November 27, 2017
Marietta Miles pulls no punches in this book of two short novellas, chronicling disparate lives on violent, unfortunate collision courses with one another. Although I wish that both stories were stronger, I really liked how Miles never shied away from uncomfortable material and the hopelessness inherent in these characters. I'm interested in seeing what she does next.
August 24, 2017
Route 12 is probably the bleakest, darkest, and most utterly realistic novella I can remember reading. Absolutely zero redemption. And not even a sliver of light. A masterpiece of darkness for sure. The language in both novellas is concrete and visceral and completely drives the pummeling you will feel as you follow these characters on their bitter journeys. Looking forward to more from Miles.
December 18, 2016
Route 12
by Marietta Miles (All Due Respect Books) opens with a hulking deputy banging on the door of an apartment while inside the darkness of the apartment, a young boy holds his hands over his ears until the deputy gives up and goes away. The two novellas of
Route 12
are the stories of the accidents of humanity, not in a sense of benevolence, rather a descent into our species' collective maliciousness. Page by page, the reader witnesses the confusion and humiliation that the characters endure from the foulness of the people close to them.
Even though I physically looked away in discomfort while reading Miles' novellas, putting my Kindle down and taking a breath, the quality of the story and the writing forced me to read on. Miles focuses on the small things that the characters experience, not just the fear and the pain. The boy we met at the beginning of Route 12 is now in a foster facility. In the dead of night, he is dragged by the guards to a senseless beating, but instead of a clichéd description of screams and physical flailing, Miles writes, "Percy smells the thick, greasy smell of Royal Cream."
But I read on telling myself that nothing more hideous can happen and I am wrong, so wrong. We are with Theresa, a pubescent girl, who is being moved from one family relation to another. Again, it is the writing.
As the first novella came to an end, I gave myself a few days to recuperate and knowing the second, Blood and Sin, could be nowhere as abhorrent or, more importantly, as good. Again, I was wrong on both counts. Marietta Miles' Route 12 is devastatingly remarkable both in the stories it tells and her writing.
Even though I physically looked away in discomfort while reading Miles' novellas, putting my Kindle down and taking a breath, the quality of the story and the writing forced me to read on. Miles focuses on the small things that the characters experience, not just the fear and the pain. The boy we met at the beginning of Route 12 is now in a foster facility. In the dead of night, he is dragged by the guards to a senseless beating, but instead of a clichéd description of screams and physical flailing, Miles writes, "Percy smells the thick, greasy smell of Royal Cream."
But I read on telling myself that nothing more hideous can happen and I am wrong, so wrong. We are with Theresa, a pubescent girl, who is being moved from one family relation to another. Again, it is the writing.
Theresa slides out of the truck while Ricky grabs her train case and suitcase. She stares at the tall house. The cold night air stings her nose. With both of her bags tucked under one arm, he finds a house key on top of the doorsill and lets her in the foyer. He sets her suitcases inside and looks at her awkwardly.
“They’ll be asleep, so find your way upstairs.” He pauses. “Your grandparents will be alright to you.
“Well, goodbye girl.” He pulls the door to and locks the bolt. She listens as he returns the key to the doorsill. The truck sputters to life and chugs away. Standing in the dark, cold house alone she hears the tick tock of a clock echoing.
As the first novella came to an end, I gave myself a few days to recuperate and knowing the second, Blood and Sin, could be nowhere as abhorrent or, more importantly, as good. Again, I was wrong on both counts. Marietta Miles' Route 12 is devastatingly remarkable both in the stories it tells and her writing.
March 30, 2016
“She buttons the top tab to her coat and when she slides her hand into her pocket, she feels soft paper underneath her fingertips. She had never been the kind of girl to get notes. A note is acceptance, and invitation to a life less lonesome. Notes are soft pencil marks, expectations, and friendship. She is surprised. Excited. She pulls out the paper and nearly rips it open.”
Route 12 is an unflinching novella that’s full of beautiful writing and excruciating pain. Three souls with broken pasts are brought together and become tangled up in webs of darkness. Percy is sent to a boys’ home/prison when his mother is sent to jail; Theresa has also lost her mother, in this case to suicide; and Cheryl has been left crippled by polio.
When Percy leaves the brutality he has grown up with in his institution, he’s full of anger and bile. The only way he can express himself is through sexual violence and hate. He descends upon Belle Gap where Theresa and Cheryl are surviving the knocks of teenage life and of growing up in impoverished circumstances. As the trio come together, it’s clear that terrible things are on their way.
Miles does a wonderful job of focusing in upon detail and creating mood. The sense of impending horror is strong and the way the strands of the tale are brought to life there are no soft landings. At some points I found the material so tough that I struggled to continue. This wasn’t because of poor writing. In fact it was just the opposite. The quality, rawness and honesty were precisely the reasons I found it so difficult. It’s a compelling read that will challenge more than a few. Read this on days when you’re either feeling strong or when you need a fix of something different from the norm.
The second novella brings together a cast of misfits to weave a sinister plot set in North Carolina. Pastor Friend is there to look after his flock. He has a particular way with young pregnant women who feel the shame of an era pressing down on them. He’s not what he seems, however, and his sick mind is capable of the most hideous of manipulations.
Harrowing and challenging throughout, this is a heavy slice of noir that isn’t always easy to digest. Go dig in.
Route 12 is an unflinching novella that’s full of beautiful writing and excruciating pain. Three souls with broken pasts are brought together and become tangled up in webs of darkness. Percy is sent to a boys’ home/prison when his mother is sent to jail; Theresa has also lost her mother, in this case to suicide; and Cheryl has been left crippled by polio.
When Percy leaves the brutality he has grown up with in his institution, he’s full of anger and bile. The only way he can express himself is through sexual violence and hate. He descends upon Belle Gap where Theresa and Cheryl are surviving the knocks of teenage life and of growing up in impoverished circumstances. As the trio come together, it’s clear that terrible things are on their way.
Miles does a wonderful job of focusing in upon detail and creating mood. The sense of impending horror is strong and the way the strands of the tale are brought to life there are no soft landings. At some points I found the material so tough that I struggled to continue. This wasn’t because of poor writing. In fact it was just the opposite. The quality, rawness and honesty were precisely the reasons I found it so difficult. It’s a compelling read that will challenge more than a few. Read this on days when you’re either feeling strong or when you need a fix of something different from the norm.
The second novella brings together a cast of misfits to weave a sinister plot set in North Carolina. Pastor Friend is there to look after his flock. He has a particular way with young pregnant women who feel the shame of an era pressing down on them. He’s not what he seems, however, and his sick mind is capable of the most hideous of manipulations.
Harrowing and challenging throughout, this is a heavy slice of noir that isn’t always easy to digest. Go dig in.
February 16, 2016
These are not happy endings. These are not stories of misfortune. These are tales of down-trodden, broken souls. Desperate characters and ugly lives, riddled with dark, baffling actions and even darker consequences. A stunningly powerful read!
October 25, 2017
Good lord, this was good.
April 19, 2016
This is the best noir novel that I have read for some considerable time.
Miles manages to keep the reader at the very edge of their seat throughout, and as with the very best short books, leaves you wanting much more.
This isn't for everyone though. The subject matter is very dark, and there really isn't much to lighten it. Several of the passages would fit well into the horror genre, but every technique Miles uses helps increase the tension.
The story is of ax ex con with a very troubled background, and his reintroduction to society. That's all you need to know if you're keen to read this. Much other information would lessen the books impact.
It comes with a shorter novella which is good, but certainly not as strong. I am very keen to see what Ms Miles does next. This is a difficult act to follow.
I will be surprised if she is not influenced by Pascal Garnier, the great French master of the dark. Really though this stands above the best Garnier, and that is high praise.
Large credit to for All Due Respect books and website.
Miles manages to keep the reader at the very edge of their seat throughout, and as with the very best short books, leaves you wanting much more.
This isn't for everyone though. The subject matter is very dark, and there really isn't much to lighten it. Several of the passages would fit well into the horror genre, but every technique Miles uses helps increase the tension.
The story is of ax ex con with a very troubled background, and his reintroduction to society. That's all you need to know if you're keen to read this. Much other information would lessen the books impact.
It comes with a shorter novella which is good, but certainly not as strong. I am very keen to see what Ms Miles does next. This is a difficult act to follow.
I will be surprised if she is not influenced by Pascal Garnier, the great French master of the dark. Really though this stands above the best Garnier, and that is high praise.
Large credit to for All Due Respect books and website.
May 5, 2016
Imagine a triangle whose three points are Carson McCullers, Hubert Selby Jr., and Edward Bunker. Inhabiting that unusual territory is "Route 12" by Marietta Miles. It's brutal and sensitive at the same time. Percy, one of the central figures in the title novella, is the character who made me think of Bunker because of how a youth institution warped his life irredeemably. The girls he encounters are the ones who made me think of McCullers. The actions the characters take are what made me think of Selby.
The second tale Miles offers here ("Blood and Sin") is cut from much the same cloth. I especially enjoyed the oddball character Naomi and her behavior.
The second tale Miles offers here ("Blood and Sin") is cut from much the same cloth. I especially enjoyed the oddball character Naomi and her behavior.
March 4, 2016
she is going to be one to watch!! Miles put together a couple very dark stories here, right up my alley, loved them.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews