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STILL THE NIGHT CALL: BEST INDIE BOOK OF 2021
STILL THE NIGHT CALL is about Calem Dewayne Honeycutt, a thirty-two-year-old Missouri dairy farmer of few words. But just because he's quiet doesn't mean he's simple. In fact, Calem's internal voice eloquently leads us through his wondrous yet tortured past, his fears for the future of his beleaguered rural world, and his carefully laid plans to remedy the vicious Night Call that haunts his present. All he has to do is get through one last day on the farm, then he can free himself of being a straight, white, middle-aged man with nothing in his possession but a gun and a prayer. Through the eyes of Calem, STILL THE NIGHT CALL delves into the quickly diminishing world of Midwestern farmers whose livelihoods have become fodder for politicians and trade wars while their traditional values have become the subject of scorn and culture wars. The result is a struggling working class whose worth has been reduced to mirthless caricatures and economic dust, and who are desperately looking for hope anywhere they might find it.
- GenresFiction
187 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2022
About the author
Joshua Senter
4 books47 followersJoshua Senter was raised in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri where he was homeschooled along with his four sisters on a five hundred acre cattle farm. Going against the grain of his conservative upbringing Josh moved to Los Angeles in 1997, and three years later he received a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, along with Ninth Term Honors.
In 2002 he began writing for the hit Showtime series The L Word. A year after that, he joined the international phenomenon, Desperate Housewives, where he was nominated for a Writer’s Guild of America award for his episode, Don’t Look at Me. In 2013 Joshua began writing and co-producing a new show for ABC Family, Chasing Life. During that time his debut novel, Daisies, was published by Diversion Books. In 2014 Joshua moved over to MTV where he began working as a writer/producer for the hit series Finding Carter.
In 2015 Joshua was placed on the Tracking Board’s Young and Hungry List as one of the top 100 writer’s working in Hollywood. In 2016, 2017, and 2018 Josh wrote pilots for ABC, FOX, and NBC respectively. A Valentine’s Day movie he co-wrote for Freeform, called The Thing About Harry, aired in February of 2020 and was nominated for a 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie. His critically-acclaimed sophomore novel, Still The Night Call, was published by Roubidoux Press and released January 14th, 2022.
In 2002 he began writing for the hit Showtime series The L Word. A year after that, he joined the international phenomenon, Desperate Housewives, where he was nominated for a Writer’s Guild of America award for his episode, Don’t Look at Me. In 2013 Joshua began writing and co-producing a new show for ABC Family, Chasing Life. During that time his debut novel, Daisies, was published by Diversion Books. In 2014 Joshua moved over to MTV where he began working as a writer/producer for the hit series Finding Carter.
In 2015 Joshua was placed on the Tracking Board’s Young and Hungry List as one of the top 100 writer’s working in Hollywood. In 2016, 2017, and 2018 Josh wrote pilots for ABC, FOX, and NBC respectively. A Valentine’s Day movie he co-wrote for Freeform, called The Thing About Harry, aired in February of 2020 and was nominated for a 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie. His critically-acclaimed sophomore novel, Still The Night Call, was published by Roubidoux Press and released January 14th, 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 17, 2022
This brilliant book taught me more about rural America than any article, pundit, news story, or class. Short of living the life of a farmer, the reader gains more than knowledge; empathy comes off of every page. Senter is capable of eloquence and heart-wrenching images when telling the tale of Calum Honeycutt who loves/hates the dairy farm he has lived on his entire life, but which his family is about to lose. Underscoring the story is the clearest indictment of what both ends of the political spectrum have done to mire this country in an inability to solve basic economic problems. Read this gorgeous and heartbreaking book; it will stay with you in a way few others do.
December 18, 2021
I was afforded the opportunity to read an advance copy of the Still the Night Call. The story quickly pulled me in, having grown up in a small town and seeing life through similar eyes. What I wasn’t prepared for was how the well the author weaves in authenticity, complexity and the sometimes simple language used to portray life, relationships it’s many challenges - just astounding.
The story was brutally honest, but eloquent. Its sure to give you the understanding needed to see life through the lenses of those we may know little about.
Whether you go in with an open mind or not, it’s sure to open heart.
The story was brutally honest, but eloquent. Its sure to give you the understanding needed to see life through the lenses of those we may know little about.
Whether you go in with an open mind or not, it’s sure to open heart.
April 21, 2022
It was written well, but a little grim and sad.
January 2, 2022
Extremely well written, current, and thought-provoking novel told through the eyes of a dairy farmer. PLEASE! Give it a try. You won't be disappointed!
December 15, 2021
It’s quite incredible how much emotional power is packed into a seemingly simple story like Still the Night Call. I literally couldn't put it down until I had finished reading it. And unlike so many books, Still the Night Call sticks with you. It's a master class in storytelling that you wish everyone would read because perhaps if they did, it would make the world a more understanding and compassionate place. I enthusiastically recommend this novel!
December 14, 2021
I had the chance to read an advance copy of this book, and it left me with all the feels. At times I found myself wanting to jump on a four wheeler to experience the quiet simple beauties of The Ozarks. But the deeper I got in the book and the deeper I was led inside Calem Honeycutt's head I realized maybe this good old country life as a farmer is far more complex than it is simple. This book really opened my eyes on a topic I knew very little about. Not only such a great read, but ultimately an important one too. Five stars!
March 1, 2022
This was so depressing, but it does really give insight into the plight of rural Americans and why they turned to Trump this last election. I grew up on a farm and my family and almost all of their neighbors and their small town friends are Trump supporters. It is a hard life, farmers put their blood, sweat and body into their work, for little money in return. If anyone in our country should be making millions of dollars, it should not be the sports stars and entertainers, but those who put food on our table. Every one should read it, but especially if you live in the city or are of the liberal persuasion.
March 10, 2022
It was very interested being in the mind of a suicidal person and how they go about their last day. But holy cow what a twist! I was not expecting that to happen but it’s completely understandable with the obstacles they faced and the amount of stress he must have been under. I can’t say much without spoiling but this really surprised me! Plus you’ll get to see the struggles from dairy farmers that I wasn’t aware of initially and have more respect for.
July 31, 2022
Wow!!!
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that makes me go back and want to reread it the minute I finished it.
Amazing read.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that makes me go back and want to reread it the minute I finished it.
Amazing read.
February 2, 2022
Maybe I loved this book because it is set one county over from my own small county. Perhaps I loved this book because it gives a small glimpse into the everyday life of someone in rural America. Maybe I loved this book because it is one of the few books based in the Ozarks that give real-life problems of the people nestled in the Ozark Mountains. Perhaps I loved it for all of those reasons and more.
This book lends a hand to the small communities that are so far out of the public eye. It covers the people in those towns who are just going day by day doing what they know and what they love, no matter how small or ineffective it may seem to the outside world. Today it’s easy for a person from a small town to feel like they don’t fit anywhere in the puzzle of corporate America. Still, the Night Call does a highly excellent job illustrating those thoughts and the desire to speak about how life in rural America is not always backward or unprogressive. Drug habits, depression, mental illness, poverty, cooperate big wigs, etc., affect rural America and its people and its ability to stand somewhere in the light. Issues of political topics as the different mindsets are brought up in this book. I enjoyed how the author went against the grind and asserted the notion that rural Americans are not always strictly right and not always left but often in the middle—wondering how these policies, laws, and elections are going to affect our meager lives... for the worse or, the better? We are not holy-rollers as Calem himself does not believe in religion but goes to church with his parents every Sunday. That’s life. That’s tradition. That’s steadiness. Quite honestly, we are just trying to make it through the week, through the day.
As a small-town Ozark girl myself, I think this book is relatable. I often caught myself saying, “wait.. this sounds exactly like something my husband would do or say.” Or “Yep, that’s my childhood. That’s my exact thoughts.” But I think even if you didn’t grow up in the Ozarks, even if you didn’t grow up in a small town, there is something in the book that every reader can either learn from, relate to, or realize. My only complaint is that I saw the ending coming. But, this was not enough for me to give it four stars because I am usually good at guessing an ending.
“Forget quality. Forget healthy. Forget supporting your own damn town and your own god damn people. You want your fucking bleach for 99 cents a gallon and your food frozen solid as a brick and your milk.. well don’t even get me started in that. But who am I to blame them, I’m one of them. Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“I ain’t some brilliant mind but I also ain’t just some dumb hick. I understand the people around here and life around here that someone with twenty college degrees never could. I know what the shape of a cloud and moister in the air says about the coming weather, without ever turning on the t.v. I know when it’s time to cut hay for baling or when to move the cows so they don’t over graze pasture. I understand heifers more than most vets. I see the way they walk and the clarity and their eyes and know when they’s down or if they’s feeling good, and how that means they are going to behave one day to the next. I got life no how except you can’t learn but one way, living. “
This book lends a hand to the small communities that are so far out of the public eye. It covers the people in those towns who are just going day by day doing what they know and what they love, no matter how small or ineffective it may seem to the outside world. Today it’s easy for a person from a small town to feel like they don’t fit anywhere in the puzzle of corporate America. Still, the Night Call does a highly excellent job illustrating those thoughts and the desire to speak about how life in rural America is not always backward or unprogressive. Drug habits, depression, mental illness, poverty, cooperate big wigs, etc., affect rural America and its people and its ability to stand somewhere in the light. Issues of political topics as the different mindsets are brought up in this book. I enjoyed how the author went against the grind and asserted the notion that rural Americans are not always strictly right and not always left but often in the middle—wondering how these policies, laws, and elections are going to affect our meager lives... for the worse or, the better? We are not holy-rollers as Calem himself does not believe in religion but goes to church with his parents every Sunday. That’s life. That’s tradition. That’s steadiness. Quite honestly, we are just trying to make it through the week, through the day.
As a small-town Ozark girl myself, I think this book is relatable. I often caught myself saying, “wait.. this sounds exactly like something my husband would do or say.” Or “Yep, that’s my childhood. That’s my exact thoughts.” But I think even if you didn’t grow up in the Ozarks, even if you didn’t grow up in a small town, there is something in the book that every reader can either learn from, relate to, or realize. My only complaint is that I saw the ending coming. But, this was not enough for me to give it four stars because I am usually good at guessing an ending.
“Forget quality. Forget healthy. Forget supporting your own damn town and your own god damn people. You want your fucking bleach for 99 cents a gallon and your food frozen solid as a brick and your milk.. well don’t even get me started in that. But who am I to blame them, I’m one of them. Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“I ain’t some brilliant mind but I also ain’t just some dumb hick. I understand the people around here and life around here that someone with twenty college degrees never could. I know what the shape of a cloud and moister in the air says about the coming weather, without ever turning on the t.v. I know when it’s time to cut hay for baling or when to move the cows so they don’t over graze pasture. I understand heifers more than most vets. I see the way they walk and the clarity and their eyes and know when they’s down or if they’s feeling good, and how that means they are going to behave one day to the next. I got life no how except you can’t learn but one way, living. “
January 15, 2022
Joshua Senter has taken a snippet of small town America and its rural communities and written a novel from the point of view of one of its citizens; it highlights the tough life that these people have. Theirs is a day-to-day struggle and one that does not seem to have a resolution that is positive.
Our narrator is Calem Honeycutt, the son of farmers and a farmer himself, helping out on the dairy farm alongside his "Pop". Calem is a young man and hard-working with a strong sense of duty but he increasingly feels that this counts for nothing as his diligence brings him barely enough money to keep a roof above his head.
The book centres on a day in Calem's life and is divided into sections decreed by the time of day, all related in chronological order. We learn about the structure of Calem's day, from the early milking of the cows to some "gigging" or fishing that he does with his friend, Miles towards the end of the book. We learn about relationships past and present; he describes instances from his childhood involving family and girlfriends as well as where those people are now and their importance (or not) to him.
Calem is a fluid narrator with strong opinions. He is no "ignorant hick", something which attention is drawn to throughout the narrative, subverting the stereotype. He is a philosopher, ruminating over the world that he finds himself living in, which seems to want to shove him out. He wants to continue to farm, getting satisfaction from what he does but knowing that it will not and cannot provide for him. Senter uses Calem as a mouthpiece with which to spout the views that must be shared by a lot of small town Americans who feel that they are overlooked in favour of the city inhabitants, generating money and commerce.
The stresses of Calem's existence mean that this is a relatively tense book but it is also one with strong evocation of character.
Mention is made of politicians in Washington and their possible misguided governance. For anyone wanting to get an idea of how farmers must feel in this day and age and not just in North America, this novel will give you an insight into their world and hopefully, generate some sympathy for hard-working individuals, just wanting to work the land just enough to have enough.
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC.
Our narrator is Calem Honeycutt, the son of farmers and a farmer himself, helping out on the dairy farm alongside his "Pop". Calem is a young man and hard-working with a strong sense of duty but he increasingly feels that this counts for nothing as his diligence brings him barely enough money to keep a roof above his head.
The book centres on a day in Calem's life and is divided into sections decreed by the time of day, all related in chronological order. We learn about the structure of Calem's day, from the early milking of the cows to some "gigging" or fishing that he does with his friend, Miles towards the end of the book. We learn about relationships past and present; he describes instances from his childhood involving family and girlfriends as well as where those people are now and their importance (or not) to him.
Calem is a fluid narrator with strong opinions. He is no "ignorant hick", something which attention is drawn to throughout the narrative, subverting the stereotype. He is a philosopher, ruminating over the world that he finds himself living in, which seems to want to shove him out. He wants to continue to farm, getting satisfaction from what he does but knowing that it will not and cannot provide for him. Senter uses Calem as a mouthpiece with which to spout the views that must be shared by a lot of small town Americans who feel that they are overlooked in favour of the city inhabitants, generating money and commerce.
The stresses of Calem's existence mean that this is a relatively tense book but it is also one with strong evocation of character.
Mention is made of politicians in Washington and their possible misguided governance. For anyone wanting to get an idea of how farmers must feel in this day and age and not just in North America, this novel will give you an insight into their world and hopefully, generate some sympathy for hard-working individuals, just wanting to work the land just enough to have enough.
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC.
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May 19, 2022While America has been a politically divided country for over two centuries, the gap between America’s parties seems to grow wider as their values become more and more associated with a sense of an old and new America. Still the Night Call by Joshua Senter is an attempt to bridge that gap, or at the very least to encourage empathy for those standing on the other side.
Still the Night Call’s lead character Calem Honeycutt is a dairy farmer in the Ozarks of Missouri. When we meet Calem on page one at 4:30 AM, he tells us almost immediately about his plans to kills himself that night. Over the course of the day, we follow Calem as he works the farm with his father, attempts to reconcile his deep debt, and reveals to readers his struggle with depression. Through it all Calem is constantly linking his problems back to changing America, the corrupt politics of all parties, and the recognition of his own ineptitude at truly understanding things beyond the farm.
To illustrate many of these issues, Senter introduces us to a host of characters who are both like and unlike Calem. We meet Calem’s parents who are quintessential American traditionalists—Dad milking cows, Mom making breakfast. We meet Calem’s sister Caitlyn through memories and phone calls—the rebel who ran away to the city to live out her liberal dreams. Then we meet Calem’s friends and neighbors—people he loves and who have tried their best both to find happiness for themselves and for their families often by doing things like voting for Trump. Senter shows each of these people’s biases and the way they judge and define one another by their values and politics.
Calem time and again reminds readers that he is not your stereotypical red-American-farm-boy. He actually stands somewhere in the middle of the radically left and right people around him. Sure, Calem voted for Trump in 2016 even though he thought Trump was incompetent and ridiculous. But Calem voted for Trump because Trump promised something no one else did: a return to the glory days of traditional America when farmers didn’t struggle the way they do now. Even though Calem believes in gay rights, abortion, and a host of other human rights issues we don’t often associate with Republican leaning individuals, he chose to vote for Trump to better his own life.
Calem openly claims that he doesn’t understand the wider world. And part of that understanding Calem is missing is his own place in the world. Calem identifies with many marginalized groups in America including transgender people and women and can’t seem to understand how being a white man makes him anymore advantaged than a person of color or someone of a different gender. What Calem doesn’t understand is intersectionality. He hears chanting of “down with the patriarchy” and assumes everyone hates straight white men. Calem doesn’t have the education or bandwidth to step back from his own situation and examine the ways in which men have dominated American decision making since its founding and how problematic that is. There is some sense that if only Calem could have a wider experience of the world, he would see himself and his place in that world differently. Instead, Calem is deeply attached to his life and career and doesn’t want to experience change on the farm, in his community, or within the world at large.
Where our empathy for Calem is strongest is in his struggle with mental health. His inability to act, his inability to truly understand anyone else’s position but his own, seem all to tie back to his struggle with mental health. Another important issue that is covered in Still the Night Call is the stigmatization of mental health issues, especially among men. Caitlyn volunteers at a women’s shelter in the city, and Calem wonders if something like that exists for men, but Caitlyn quickly explains that men don’t seek help the way women do. So while the undeniable truth that being a white man in America gives you some sort of upper hand, we see the price that comes with: how we’ve raised so many of our boys into men who can’t ask for help, who need to achieve greatness, who can’t empathize and understand because they’re taught instead to get ahead, to hide weakness, and to never admit defeat.
Still the Night Call addresses all of these important issues and more. If you are a staunch liberal or a staunch conservative, your politics and values likely won’t change after reading Senter’s book, but it seems his hope is that at the very least you’ll gain some empathy and understanding for the other side. If nothing else, Still the Night Call highlights the way mental health affects people’s lives no matter their social status, gender, or political values.
Still the Night Call’s lead character Calem Honeycutt is a dairy farmer in the Ozarks of Missouri. When we meet Calem on page one at 4:30 AM, he tells us almost immediately about his plans to kills himself that night. Over the course of the day, we follow Calem as he works the farm with his father, attempts to reconcile his deep debt, and reveals to readers his struggle with depression. Through it all Calem is constantly linking his problems back to changing America, the corrupt politics of all parties, and the recognition of his own ineptitude at truly understanding things beyond the farm.
To illustrate many of these issues, Senter introduces us to a host of characters who are both like and unlike Calem. We meet Calem’s parents who are quintessential American traditionalists—Dad milking cows, Mom making breakfast. We meet Calem’s sister Caitlyn through memories and phone calls—the rebel who ran away to the city to live out her liberal dreams. Then we meet Calem’s friends and neighbors—people he loves and who have tried their best both to find happiness for themselves and for their families often by doing things like voting for Trump. Senter shows each of these people’s biases and the way they judge and define one another by their values and politics.
Calem time and again reminds readers that he is not your stereotypical red-American-farm-boy. He actually stands somewhere in the middle of the radically left and right people around him. Sure, Calem voted for Trump in 2016 even though he thought Trump was incompetent and ridiculous. But Calem voted for Trump because Trump promised something no one else did: a return to the glory days of traditional America when farmers didn’t struggle the way they do now. Even though Calem believes in gay rights, abortion, and a host of other human rights issues we don’t often associate with Republican leaning individuals, he chose to vote for Trump to better his own life.
Calem openly claims that he doesn’t understand the wider world. And part of that understanding Calem is missing is his own place in the world. Calem identifies with many marginalized groups in America including transgender people and women and can’t seem to understand how being a white man makes him anymore advantaged than a person of color or someone of a different gender. What Calem doesn’t understand is intersectionality. He hears chanting of “down with the patriarchy” and assumes everyone hates straight white men. Calem doesn’t have the education or bandwidth to step back from his own situation and examine the ways in which men have dominated American decision making since its founding and how problematic that is. There is some sense that if only Calem could have a wider experience of the world, he would see himself and his place in that world differently. Instead, Calem is deeply attached to his life and career and doesn’t want to experience change on the farm, in his community, or within the world at large.
Where our empathy for Calem is strongest is in his struggle with mental health. His inability to act, his inability to truly understand anyone else’s position but his own, seem all to tie back to his struggle with mental health. Another important issue that is covered in Still the Night Call is the stigmatization of mental health issues, especially among men. Caitlyn volunteers at a women’s shelter in the city, and Calem wonders if something like that exists for men, but Caitlyn quickly explains that men don’t seek help the way women do. So while the undeniable truth that being a white man in America gives you some sort of upper hand, we see the price that comes with: how we’ve raised so many of our boys into men who can’t ask for help, who need to achieve greatness, who can’t empathize and understand because they’re taught instead to get ahead, to hide weakness, and to never admit defeat.
Still the Night Call addresses all of these important issues and more. If you are a staunch liberal or a staunch conservative, your politics and values likely won’t change after reading Senter’s book, but it seems his hope is that at the very least you’ll gain some empathy and understanding for the other side. If nothing else, Still the Night Call highlights the way mental health affects people’s lives no matter their social status, gender, or political values.
March 3, 2022
Wow...for such a small book, this packs a punch. I don't know or understand much about farm life. I have heard it's very hard work and can be a hard way to live.
Still the Night Call is a deeper look into a farmer's life and how current events, politics and the state of the world today has affected him and his family.
Calem is a tortured soul and my heart broke for him, his father and mother. Following him during a day in his life, reading his thoughts and plans, really broke me open. I wanted to jump into this book, hug him and stand by him.
The twist at end of this one was hard to read. Honestly this entire book was a hard read BUT the end was devastating.
Joshua Senter certainly has a way with words and while this was melancholy, disturbing and deep...it is also beautifully written. It's no wonder this book has been called the best indie book of 2021.
"Slowly, the Night Call chokes you like a vengeful lover, constricting until it snaps your head from your body the moment you stop fighting it. And you do want to stop fighting."
"You yearn to disappear into nothingness without mass or form or meaning so it can't reach you any longer."
"And suddenly, all the happiness and joy rushing over me fades like the sun going down in the distance. And I can't even remember what euphoria feels like or why I was smiling or singing or screaming. I'm cold now and starving."
For those who are sensitive to suicide, I would advise caution if picking this one up. This may be a hard book to read but it is powerful and definitely worth the read.
I sincerely thank the publisher and Books Forward for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.
Still the Night Call is a deeper look into a farmer's life and how current events, politics and the state of the world today has affected him and his family.
Calem is a tortured soul and my heart broke for him, his father and mother. Following him during a day in his life, reading his thoughts and plans, really broke me open. I wanted to jump into this book, hug him and stand by him.
The twist at end of this one was hard to read. Honestly this entire book was a hard read BUT the end was devastating.
Joshua Senter certainly has a way with words and while this was melancholy, disturbing and deep...it is also beautifully written. It's no wonder this book has been called the best indie book of 2021.
"Slowly, the Night Call chokes you like a vengeful lover, constricting until it snaps your head from your body the moment you stop fighting it. And you do want to stop fighting."
"You yearn to disappear into nothingness without mass or form or meaning so it can't reach you any longer."
"And suddenly, all the happiness and joy rushing over me fades like the sun going down in the distance. And I can't even remember what euphoria feels like or why I was smiling or singing or screaming. I'm cold now and starving."
For those who are sensitive to suicide, I would advise caution if picking this one up. This may be a hard book to read but it is powerful and definitely worth the read.
I sincerely thank the publisher and Books Forward for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.
January 16, 2022
What a brilliant and timely book! Such an important read.
I highly recommend it.
I just want to highlight the experience of reading Calem's story as a Canadian - as someone who grew up in a major urban city, within an extremely "diverse" cultural environment.
Still the Night Call opened my eyes to a slice of life. It opened my eyes to a culture that I am not especially familiar with, am not regularly exposed to, and perhaps don't fully relate to based on my own lived-experience.
When I say "culture", I don't simply mean the farming community. That, too. I mean the United States even more broadly, and the nuances of politics in this country.
I think that its important to acknowledge this when I talk about my (glowing!) impression of this book. The truth is: I am removed from what's happening in the States these days. There is less at stake for me personally, for my daily life, and for my immediate loved ones (though I do have connections to the States, as well).
All that said ... wow! Insightful, intelligent, brilliant, empathetic, and inspiring are all words that I would use to describe Calem's internal journey.
Author Joshua Senter's message, through Calem, of hope and unity, makes this a powerful read. Thank you, for bringing this voice.
I highly recommend it.
I just want to highlight the experience of reading Calem's story as a Canadian - as someone who grew up in a major urban city, within an extremely "diverse" cultural environment.
Still the Night Call opened my eyes to a slice of life. It opened my eyes to a culture that I am not especially familiar with, am not regularly exposed to, and perhaps don't fully relate to based on my own lived-experience.
When I say "culture", I don't simply mean the farming community. That, too. I mean the United States even more broadly, and the nuances of politics in this country.
I think that its important to acknowledge this when I talk about my (glowing!) impression of this book. The truth is: I am removed from what's happening in the States these days. There is less at stake for me personally, for my daily life, and for my immediate loved ones (though I do have connections to the States, as well).
All that said ... wow! Insightful, intelligent, brilliant, empathetic, and inspiring are all words that I would use to describe Calem's internal journey.
Author Joshua Senter's message, through Calem, of hope and unity, makes this a powerful read. Thank you, for bringing this voice.
July 15, 2022
A beautiful haunting fictional story that rings so true of a young white dairy farmer, angry, confused, and feeling hopeless at current events in America that are leading to the loss of his livelihood and his way of life. The story takes place in one day, the last day of the narrator’s life, as he tells us at the beginning of the story that he intends to shoot himself by the end of the day. It’s a tale that explains how one white male can turn toward radicalism as way of trying to save himself, his family, his land, and his livelihood. Gorgeous writing and so eye-opening to read.
February 21, 2022
This book packs a lot into a thin volume. It's hard to say I liked it, when the opening line is that the narrator is planning to kill himself that day, but the writing is so good and the topic so relevant that it drew me into his world.
July 21, 2023
Kirsten borrow this.
August 10, 2022
I truly loved and enjoyed this book, from the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of each and every character, to the ploy gravely but wonderfully presented. The ending felt rushed to me but perhaps I was hoping for a more positive outcome. This book spoke to me on so many levels and it is absolutely worth reading. This one dives deep and provokes epochal feelings--seriously an undeniable read. It speaks to all of us on some level.
December 14, 2021
Absolutely loved it!
December 7, 2023
This book did a fantastic job of painting the picture of what the big guys can do to the little guys nowadays.
I am so for the middle-class underdogs. 🖤 Though I don't walk in their footsteps caring for the land & animals per se (I am 100% still a middle-class citizen), I was born to them & lived under the same roof as them.
I still believe Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big all the things are a dumpster fire. Life isn't & shouldn't be free, but we should help each other when we can--no questions asked. And the people that bust their ass shouldn't be the ones hardly getting by.
I am so for the middle-class underdogs. 🖤 Though I don't walk in their footsteps caring for the land & animals per se (I am 100% still a middle-class citizen), I was born to them & lived under the same roof as them.
I still believe Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big all the things are a dumpster fire. Life isn't & shouldn't be free, but we should help each other when we can--no questions asked. And the people that bust their ass shouldn't be the ones hardly getting by.
October 14, 2022
I decent read. There were a few small details that felt off, but no actual disappointments. I didn't give this book 5 stars for the plot, or for the character development, or for the writing style. This book gets 5 stars from me for the concept. A gay man who lives in LA is writing a story about the last day in the life of a straight white male who lives on a small dairy farm. His struggles, his pains, his confusion trying to figure out why the world hates him. It is heartbreaking. We are all hurting these days.
March 7, 2022
Reminiscent of Kent Haruf, beautifully heart breaking and honest.
April 3, 2023
This book will stay with me- “I may not be more, but I am certainly not less…”
October 2, 2023
Tortured, heartbreaking, enlightening and simply outstanding.
January 13, 2022
Joshua Senter’s Still the Night Call traces a memorable and emotionally rending journey to self- realization, with a tale which rattles the heart and mind into giving pause and reflecting on how you may value your life and the world you live in.
Told through the lens of central character Calem Honeycutt, a dairy farmer, whose whole life is centered around making a living through farming which he does mainly by helping his father work his farm. Moreover, at thirty-two years old, Calem is a man who has lost hope. A quiet man of few words, the narrative is fueled by his internal mentations, more so than his face- to-face interactions. Ultimately a bit of a loner, he does not often venture far from his life as a dairy farmer; however, for the most part, he seems to enjoy his life that way and sees his life as nothing worthier than that.
Immediately the curiosity is piqued when Calem, who comes across as an intelligent, determined and sympathetic character, seems convinced he is living his “last day”. Consequently, the story traces the events of his self-prophesied last day counting time down, to his final “night call”, a time known when your activity ceases to go to bed, but for his intents and purposes it would mean much more. As he lives out the hours of his last days he ruminates over his life’s events, experiences, and memories as well as comes across a life altering experience which would teach him the hardest lesson of all to value your life, live it your way no matter what is happening in your world externally.
Through Calem’s perspective, pessimism, doubt, and fears rear their ugly heads threatening farms and businesses as a contemporary world in flux steadily and mercilessly moves away from the conventions of small family-owned farms and businesses, especially the dairy farm as the demand for milk moves from conventional cow’s milk towards other alternative milks, making it difficult for them to make a decent living. Ultimately it is through Calem’s discussions, philosophies and internalized insights which reveal other catalysts to economic hardship, as the story interweaves real life elements concerning the current social, political, economic, and moral elements affecting the livelihoods of local dairy farmers, small businesses and the like.
Conclusively, I enjoyed Still the Night Call. I found myself enmeshed in this touching and dramatic story eager to follow Calem’s emotion rending journey towards his proposed night call. Overall, author Joshua Senter is simply an excellent storyteller. The story flowed seamlessly, with the articulate scenes presenting many instances of deep thought provocation centering on facts of contemporary life and how it affects and changes those that lead simple more community connected lives. Overall, this is not only a book which I recommend reading, but I believe wholeheartedly, would also make a fantastic movie.
Told through the lens of central character Calem Honeycutt, a dairy farmer, whose whole life is centered around making a living through farming which he does mainly by helping his father work his farm. Moreover, at thirty-two years old, Calem is a man who has lost hope. A quiet man of few words, the narrative is fueled by his internal mentations, more so than his face- to-face interactions. Ultimately a bit of a loner, he does not often venture far from his life as a dairy farmer; however, for the most part, he seems to enjoy his life that way and sees his life as nothing worthier than that.
Immediately the curiosity is piqued when Calem, who comes across as an intelligent, determined and sympathetic character, seems convinced he is living his “last day”. Consequently, the story traces the events of his self-prophesied last day counting time down, to his final “night call”, a time known when your activity ceases to go to bed, but for his intents and purposes it would mean much more. As he lives out the hours of his last days he ruminates over his life’s events, experiences, and memories as well as comes across a life altering experience which would teach him the hardest lesson of all to value your life, live it your way no matter what is happening in your world externally.
Through Calem’s perspective, pessimism, doubt, and fears rear their ugly heads threatening farms and businesses as a contemporary world in flux steadily and mercilessly moves away from the conventions of small family-owned farms and businesses, especially the dairy farm as the demand for milk moves from conventional cow’s milk towards other alternative milks, making it difficult for them to make a decent living. Ultimately it is through Calem’s discussions, philosophies and internalized insights which reveal other catalysts to economic hardship, as the story interweaves real life elements concerning the current social, political, economic, and moral elements affecting the livelihoods of local dairy farmers, small businesses and the like.
Conclusively, I enjoyed Still the Night Call. I found myself enmeshed in this touching and dramatic story eager to follow Calem’s emotion rending journey towards his proposed night call. Overall, author Joshua Senter is simply an excellent storyteller. The story flowed seamlessly, with the articulate scenes presenting many instances of deep thought provocation centering on facts of contemporary life and how it affects and changes those that lead simple more community connected lives. Overall, this is not only a book which I recommend reading, but I believe wholeheartedly, would also make a fantastic movie.
May 29, 2023
Solid 3 stars! Great descriptors, well composed for a timeline and adequate length for what is being conveyed. For the most part, one of the most accurate, current day depictions of the midwest, from lifestyle to slang, that I have personally read. A few liberal ideologies get woven in that have no context to the story whatsoever and contradict some of the main themes.
Without spoiling, it does bring to light the conversation of depression, suicide, and its effects on the self as well as those surrounding. Personally, would not recommend to young readers as there are a handful of graphic depictions.
To leave off on a positive note, simplistic yet gorgeous cover art 🤓
Without spoiling, it does bring to light the conversation of depression, suicide, and its effects on the self as well as those surrounding. Personally, would not recommend to young readers as there are a handful of graphic depictions.
To leave off on a positive note, simplistic yet gorgeous cover art 🤓
April 21, 2022
3.5 stars. Well-written but a difficult read at times due to the subject matter.
March 4, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ great takeaways but heavy read
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June 21, 2024i agree - best indie book!
May 1, 2022
Brilliant! Storytelling at its best. ❤👏🍾
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