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May
May, lonely caretaker and small-time weed dealer, has spent years trying to hunker down and hide from her damaged past. As a destructive nor’easter takes aim at her sleepy island home of Folly, May tries to hunker down once more after the island is evacuated.
But death is in the air – not just from the storm, but from others on the island driven by darker demons – and May finds that this time, there’s nowhere to hide.
Praise for
“Every page has a lovely line, something to savor, even as the story uneasily slips under your skin. There’s beauty in the violence in this novella about loneliness and the lengths people go to free themselves from its grasp. You read May and imagine Marietta Miles sitting at the edge of the abyss, peering into it and scribbling into her notebook.” —E.A. Aymar, author of You’re As Good As Dead
“Marietta Miles is a unique voice in modern noir, a writer of such dark scenes that only the power of her words can provide the light that releases the reader into a world where hope remains. Showcasing a Southern sensibility that reminds at times of Flannery O’Connor, Miles continually reveals further breadth (and depths) to her characters. A book of dark charms, May adds to the staggeringly beautiful intoxication delivered by last year’s Route 12.” —Rob Pierce, author of Uncle Dust and With The Right Enemies
“May will haunt you long after you close the cover. Its every page is fraught with peril. Its every word oozes with tragedy You know it’s coming, but you won’t dare look away, lest you miss one of the freshest, most scintillating voices in Southern crime fiction.” —Eryk Pruitt, author of Dirtbags and What We Reckon
“May is gripping and yet poignant. May Cosby and the people around her struggle against the present and the past, trying to piece together a life that’s worth living. Set along the fragile Folly Island of North Carolina as a frightening storm approaches, May looks back upon her choices and does her best to come to terms with them. Extremely atmospheric and at times heart-wrenching, May is a story of choosing to leave the wreckage of the past and search for hope in the future.” —Jen Conley, author of Cannibals
“Marietta Miles’s May is an unfiltered, provocative deep-dive into the bleak life of an extraordinarily complex woman. Utterly engrossing and relentlessly heartbreaking, Miles’s sharp, powerful storytelling will have you rooting for May fiercely right up until the very end.” —Jennifer Hillier, author of Creep, Freak, and Wonderland
But death is in the air – not just from the storm, but from others on the island driven by darker demons – and May finds that this time, there’s nowhere to hide.
Praise for
“Every page has a lovely line, something to savor, even as the story uneasily slips under your skin. There’s beauty in the violence in this novella about loneliness and the lengths people go to free themselves from its grasp. You read May and imagine Marietta Miles sitting at the edge of the abyss, peering into it and scribbling into her notebook.” —E.A. Aymar, author of You’re As Good As Dead
“Marietta Miles is a unique voice in modern noir, a writer of such dark scenes that only the power of her words can provide the light that releases the reader into a world where hope remains. Showcasing a Southern sensibility that reminds at times of Flannery O’Connor, Miles continually reveals further breadth (and depths) to her characters. A book of dark charms, May adds to the staggeringly beautiful intoxication delivered by last year’s Route 12.” —Rob Pierce, author of Uncle Dust and With The Right Enemies
“May will haunt you long after you close the cover. Its every page is fraught with peril. Its every word oozes with tragedy You know it’s coming, but you won’t dare look away, lest you miss one of the freshest, most scintillating voices in Southern crime fiction.” —Eryk Pruitt, author of Dirtbags and What We Reckon
“May is gripping and yet poignant. May Cosby and the people around her struggle against the present and the past, trying to piece together a life that’s worth living. Set along the fragile Folly Island of North Carolina as a frightening storm approaches, May looks back upon her choices and does her best to come to terms with them. Extremely atmospheric and at times heart-wrenching, May is a story of choosing to leave the wreckage of the past and search for hope in the future.” —Jen Conley, author of Cannibals
“Marietta Miles’s May is an unfiltered, provocative deep-dive into the bleak life of an extraordinarily complex woman. Utterly engrossing and relentlessly heartbreaking, Miles’s sharp, powerful storytelling will have you rooting for May fiercely right up until the very end.” —Jennifer Hillier, author of Creep, Freak, and Wonderland
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Published January 8, 2018
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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 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 12, 2018
Let's get this out of the way. I don't know who decided on the cover for this book but it's terrible. And I'm bringing it up because Down & Out Books usually has fairly decent covers for their books. So did someone have something against this one? I'm confused. This book doesn't deserve this.
May tells parallel tales of a solitary woman: first in 1987 as she prepares for a storm on a North Carolina island, which is presented consecutively with the story of her life as a teenager on the mainland and the unfortunate circumstances that led her to where she is now.
The book takes an interesting approach at depicting loneliness and the events that can feed it, especially in showing the differences between May and the two other lead characters, Junior and Tommy, who all share a similar isolation but with totally different backgrounds. They all struggle to stay afloat emotionally and to feel that they matter. And by the end, May realizes that the salvation she needs might be found in caring for someone else rather than expecting to be cared for by others. I must say that I preferred the past storylines better than the present day one, mainly because the present story was filled with so many day-to-day minutiae, details that I feel were unnecessary, cramped the pace, and overstayed their welcome.
Even though you might see this book billed as a crime novel, it's nothing of the sort and it's more enjoyable when you don't have those expectations. I feel like Marietta Miles has a masterpiece in her and I'll be here to see it.
But please, please do better with covers Down & Out Books, if you're looking to actually sell copies!
May tells parallel tales of a solitary woman: first in 1987 as she prepares for a storm on a North Carolina island, which is presented consecutively with the story of her life as a teenager on the mainland and the unfortunate circumstances that led her to where she is now.
The book takes an interesting approach at depicting loneliness and the events that can feed it, especially in showing the differences between May and the two other lead characters, Junior and Tommy, who all share a similar isolation but with totally different backgrounds. They all struggle to stay afloat emotionally and to feel that they matter. And by the end, May realizes that the salvation she needs might be found in caring for someone else rather than expecting to be cared for by others. I must say that I preferred the past storylines better than the present day one, mainly because the present story was filled with so many day-to-day minutiae, details that I feel were unnecessary, cramped the pace, and overstayed their welcome.
Even though you might see this book billed as a crime novel, it's nothing of the sort and it's more enjoyable when you don't have those expectations. I feel like Marietta Miles has a masterpiece in her and I'll be here to see it.
But please, please do better with covers Down & Out Books, if you're looking to actually sell copies!
December 22, 2017
I’ve been a big fan of Marietta Miles since her haunting novella ROUTE 12. She has a way of portraying the worst in humanity yet with a twinge of sympathy and understanding. It takes a very skilled writer to create stories about shameful and sometimes despicable characters that still manage to tug at my heartstrings. Her latest novel, MAY, is no exception.
From the opening scene, the sense of foreboding is palpable and continues to steadily build until the end. This isn’t a thrill ride where you buckle your seat belt and hang on. This is one of those stories that envelopes you with its menace until you can’t stand it anymore because you know something awful is going to happen, you just aren’t sure what or when.
The story focuses on May Cosby and how she came to be living alone on Folly Island (1987) from Shreveport, Louisiana (1970s). There were times I wanted to scream and shake May for her poor decisions while at the same time reach out and comfort her because you know exactly how she feels. That’s what Miles is so good at: creating characters that connect with the most shameful and broken parts of your own psyche.
We follow two other characters who live on Folly Island as an impending storm steadily builds: Junior, a bratty rich kid who medicates to escape the demons that plague him, and Tommy, a local adrift boy who shares similar qualities to a young May. It’s just a matter of time before these three meet up and Miles skillfully exploits every possible tension-building moment until then.
An unforgettable voice in crime fiction that just gets better with every story. Everyone needs to read Marietta Miles.
From the opening scene, the sense of foreboding is palpable and continues to steadily build until the end. This isn’t a thrill ride where you buckle your seat belt and hang on. This is one of those stories that envelopes you with its menace until you can’t stand it anymore because you know something awful is going to happen, you just aren’t sure what or when.
The story focuses on May Cosby and how she came to be living alone on Folly Island (1987) from Shreveport, Louisiana (1970s). There were times I wanted to scream and shake May for her poor decisions while at the same time reach out and comfort her because you know exactly how she feels. That’s what Miles is so good at: creating characters that connect with the most shameful and broken parts of your own psyche.
We follow two other characters who live on Folly Island as an impending storm steadily builds: Junior, a bratty rich kid who medicates to escape the demons that plague him, and Tommy, a local adrift boy who shares similar qualities to a young May. It’s just a matter of time before these three meet up and Miles skillfully exploits every possible tension-building moment until then.
An unforgettable voice in crime fiction that just gets better with every story. Everyone needs to read Marietta Miles.
July 16, 2018
Our parents shape us. There is no doubt about this. For May Cosby, it puts her behind the eight ball from the onset of Marietta Miles latest, May. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has an atmosphere to it, and is quite haunting to say the least. I rooted for May. I rooted for some other characters I met along the way as well, but in the end, May, the book as well as the title character, she comes out on top. I highly recommend this book. Go forth. Seek out. Purchase and enjoy.
February 10, 2018
I fell in love with Marietta Miles after reading her novellas (Route 12). With May, she again nails loneliness (and quiet, suffocating desperation) like no other author I've read--just so understands and conveys the pain of being an outcast and an outsider. And she builds to violence methodically, brilliantly. I would read her grocery lists.
February 9, 2018
May is told from two alternating angles.
In the first, we get to see her working alone to maintain holiday accommodation and preparing for the arrival of a big storm. She’s independent and isolated and her main social contacts come through the dope dealing that allows her to make ends meet. As the storm approaches and a couple of odd characters are hanging around her flats, we get to see May as a strong survivor who leaves in her wake the sense that she’s vulnerable and brittle.
The second strand tells us the story of May’s growing up. We get to watch her trip as she steps across the threshold into the world of the young adult and witness her parents allow her to crash without attempting to break her fall. The cruelty within her family is painfully cold and brutal, the hurt that May feels utterly palpable.
These elements fit together nicely as one builds with suspense and the other becomes so raw that it’s unbearable. The history helps to put the older May into perspective and adds to the building desire to see her make it through when the clouds darken, the winds get up and those hungry for her wares tire of sniffing at the door.
I really enjoyed this book, particularly in the section dealing with the troubles of her teenage years. The images are vivid and the swirling angst of the isolated adolescent spins hard and fast like the imminent storm itself. It’s the kind of book that can make you wince and cry and shout out at the injustice of it all. As chapters close and you enter quiet moments of reflection, you can be relieved that this is simply fiction in the way you might experience relief when realising that the nightmare you just had isn’t real after all.
If you’re a regular here, it’s likely that May is going to be right up your street. If that's not enough, another reason to recommend the read is that this book left me with the sense that Marietta Miles is going to write something truly amazing in the near future. You want to be on the journey with her when she arrives at the next stop, so get on board now and enjoy the scenery.
In the first, we get to see her working alone to maintain holiday accommodation and preparing for the arrival of a big storm. She’s independent and isolated and her main social contacts come through the dope dealing that allows her to make ends meet. As the storm approaches and a couple of odd characters are hanging around her flats, we get to see May as a strong survivor who leaves in her wake the sense that she’s vulnerable and brittle.
The second strand tells us the story of May’s growing up. We get to watch her trip as she steps across the threshold into the world of the young adult and witness her parents allow her to crash without attempting to break her fall. The cruelty within her family is painfully cold and brutal, the hurt that May feels utterly palpable.
These elements fit together nicely as one builds with suspense and the other becomes so raw that it’s unbearable. The history helps to put the older May into perspective and adds to the building desire to see her make it through when the clouds darken, the winds get up and those hungry for her wares tire of sniffing at the door.
I really enjoyed this book, particularly in the section dealing with the troubles of her teenage years. The images are vivid and the swirling angst of the isolated adolescent spins hard and fast like the imminent storm itself. It’s the kind of book that can make you wince and cry and shout out at the injustice of it all. As chapters close and you enter quiet moments of reflection, you can be relieved that this is simply fiction in the way you might experience relief when realising that the nightmare you just had isn’t real after all.
If you’re a regular here, it’s likely that May is going to be right up your street. If that's not enough, another reason to recommend the read is that this book left me with the sense that Marietta Miles is going to write something truly amazing in the near future. You want to be on the journey with her when she arrives at the next stop, so get on board now and enjoy the scenery.
April 3, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. It grabs you and pulls you into the life of May Cosby. May has lived a dark and stormy life. She is one tough cookie and she is not going to take crap from anyone ever again. From her dark, stormy childhood to her adult life on Folly Island, May has had to fight her way through life.
The book begins with May preparing her home and the Juniper Estate Vacation Homes (one of her many jobs) for a strong Nor'easter that is about to hit the island. She is the person that can be trusted to look out for everyone else, even though no one looks out for May. But, she has the task and whatever weapon she can find well in hand.
Marietta Miles is a true queen of noir. The dark atmosphere is a character within itself. She weaves the story line flawlessly from May's childhood to the place she is in her life right now. May had some mean people in her life but she has taken that pain and used it to make herself a stronger woman. Don't mess with May.
I do recommend reading Marietta Miles, though. Buy this book and grab her other book, Route 12. You will thank me for it. Beautifully written.
The book begins with May preparing her home and the Juniper Estate Vacation Homes (one of her many jobs) for a strong Nor'easter that is about to hit the island. She is the person that can be trusted to look out for everyone else, even though no one looks out for May. But, she has the task and whatever weapon she can find well in hand.
Marietta Miles is a true queen of noir. The dark atmosphere is a character within itself. She weaves the story line flawlessly from May's childhood to the place she is in her life right now. May had some mean people in her life but she has taken that pain and used it to make herself a stronger woman. Don't mess with May.
I do recommend reading Marietta Miles, though. Buy this book and grab her other book, Route 12. You will thank me for it. Beautifully written.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews