Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown

Set in the 1950s in the North Carolina mountains, this novel centers on two characters: Granny May is a folk healer, and Rory Docherty, her grandson, is a wounded Korean War veteran who runs whiskey to the mill town at the bottom of the mountain. This novel was an Okra Pick from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance for last winter. "It’s the characters, so wonderfully vibrant and alive in their all-too-human variety―scared, tightly wound, angry, damaged, yet resourceful and resilient, some honorable, some not―that demonstrate Brown’s prodigious talent. Brown has quickly established himself in the top echelon of Southern writers, and his latest will please readers of Wiley Cash and Ron Rash." - Booklist, starred review. "Powerful . . . explosive . . . Brown's lyrical prose invokes a verdant landscape whose rich past is woven into its roots and people; their dependence on the land and respect for its great mysteries are palpable. This tale of loyalty and retribution will linger