“A fresh, authentic, and eloquent new voice in American fiction.” – Robert Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of Gap Creek In Gods of Howl Mountain, award-winning author Taylor Brown explores a world of folk healers, whiskey-runners, and dark family secrets in the high country of 1950s North Carolina. Bootlegger Rory Docherty has returned home to the fabled mountain of his childhood – a … to the fabled mountain of his childhood – a misty wilderness that holds its secrets close and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories of the Korean War, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a powerful mountain clan in a retro-fitted ‘40 Ford coupe. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his formidable grandmother, evades federal agents, and stokes the wrath of a rival runner.
In the mill town at the foot of the mountains – a hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing – Rory is bewitched by the mysterious daughter of a snake-handling preacher. His grandmother, Maybelline “Granny May” Docherty, opposes this match for her own reasons, believing that “some things are best left buried.” A folk healer whose powers are rumored to rival those of a wood witch, she concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains while harboring an explosive secret about Rory’s mother – the truth behind her long confinement in a mental hospital, during which time she has not spoken one word. When Rory’s life is threatened, Granny must decide whether to reveal what she knows…or protect her only grandson from the past.
With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it.
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I won’t reiterate what the story is about. The book blurb does a great job of covering that. What initially drew me to this novel was the backwoods North Carolina mountain setting. Taylor Brown brings it vividly to life, along with characters like Granny May, a woman who creates folk remedies and keeps a “spirit tree” strung with glass bottles in her front yard. Add moonshiners, revenue men, a church of snake-handlers, and a decades-old secret and readers are treated to a wonderfully multi-layered story. Even the setting becomes a character.
Example: “The road spilled down out of the mountains before him like a moonlit creek. He knew it well, as he knew the lesser roads that branched along the ridges and forked down into the hollers, that swung along the great walls of blasted stone and through tunnels of black oak and hickory.”
The writing is exquisite, richly detailed without being overwrought. Another example:
“Most of all it was talk, Rory knew, the lies of gummy old men in their rockers, on their nail kegs in front of the feed store. Stories punctuated by black bullets of tobacco juice spat quivering in the dust, attended by ageless hounds that lay tongue-out in the shade like something dead.”
The story is alternately gritty and lyrical. I was surprised by the ending—didn’t see the twists coming—but loved how everything played out, especially as related to an incident in the past.
This was my first time reading Taylor Brown, but it won’t be my last!
Brown is quickly becoming my favorite author. He is a master of words, and if show don’t tell is what he set his sights on, he nailed it. Set in the remote North Caroline hill country in the 50’s, with characters that literally come alive on the page. For those of us of a certain age, we can feel the thrill of a true muscle car rumbling beneath our feet and the thrill of outrunning our pursuers. The life of a maimed soldier returned from Korea refusing to be broken, determined to right a terrible wrong, and the soft heart of a hard woman tie together and show what true friends and family will do to right a wrong. Once again Brown makes us see and feel the depth of evil and love. This is a must read.
Enjoyed every moment of this book!
Taylor Brown’s Gods of Howl Mountain is haunting my dreams. Reading the first few chapters made me wonder if I would finish the book. I’m thankful that I did. Brown’s embellished literary style made for an unhurried start. His words left brush strokes of mossy greens and oaken brown across my eyes. I could smell the sweet nuts toasty on the open fire, and I felt drunk with the burning taste of moonshine whiskey. But I kept wondering when if ever I would get to know the characters. I should not have doubted Taylor’s style.
Tough-skinned, folk healer, Granny May appears from the mist of the Great Smokie Mountains, and I will never forget her. She is a survivor of tough times and a fierce protector of her grandson Rory. Rory returned home to the mountains after losing his leg the Koren War. It was the only place he called home, and the only work he knew was running whiskey for the king bootlegger of the mountain, Eustace Howl. The Gods of Howl Mountain twists and turns with the speed and excitement of the big ole souped-up car that Rory drives while making his whiskey runs. I felt like I was right beside him through every surprising turn of this story, to the most unexpected ending. Taylor Brown took me on a wild ride with characters as hard as the mountains of North Carolina and just as unforgettable.
Taylor Brown’s Gods of Howl Mountain was a one of a kind literary trip through the secret life of moonshiners living in the mountains of North Carolina in the 1950’s.
Rory Docherty, returned from the war and one leg short, is settling in back at home, living with his grandmother, Granny May, who raised him after his mother was witness to a horrific crime that left her mute and living in a home for the mentally ill. As Rory gets readjusted to his bootlegging life, he encounters challenges unique to the lifestyle. He has to dodge the feds, battles other local whiskey-runners and falls for, against his Granny’s warnings, a God-fearing girl.
While juggling all things life in the moonshiner’s mountains, Rory continues to investigate the mystery of who put his mother in a mental hospital. Since she won’t speak, no one knows for sure who caused her unspoken terror, and he is determined to find revenge, one way or another. Unfortunately, the dangers of the mountains and its secrets will do all it can to stand in the way of the truth.
While this was not a fast-paced read, there was plenty going on to hold my interest, from stock car races to federal car chases. From brothels and moonshine deliveries to Pentecostal potlucks and potions, there is something to keep you reading at every turn.
The writing was intense, descriptive and revealing, at times so visual it was difficult to push through. I felt like I could see, feel and smell the mountains of North Carolina. The content was something I have not read before, and it was believable and uniquely fascinating. I found myself completely pulled into the story and the atmosphere. I could picture Granny May, running out to the porch of their country cabin, barefoot, hair wild and swinging a rifle around.
This is not a book I would normally think to pick up since it’s not a topic I have read about before, but I would recommend this read, even if it’s a subject outside your typical wheelhouse. What a rare opportunity to experience the true backwoods of North Carolina from a perspective that most would never be exposed to.
A fascinating four star for this unique story.
**Review by Amy, Late Night Reviewer for Up All Night with Books**
Growing up in the South, it was impossible not to hear the stories of secrets, bootlegging, faith healers, and the like. One look at the cover and blurb for this one and I was anxious to dive in, and dive in, I did – only to dive right back out several times. The idea for this one was certainly intriguing, and Brown does know how to paint a scene with vivid descriptions – of everything. While I do appreciate setting a scene and giving the reader a detailed picture in their mind, the gripping story I was hoping for got a bit lost in the details. The characters were rather one-dimensional and stereotypical, and while there were secrets to be discovered, without that connection to any of the characters, I was never able to immerse myself in the story. In the end, I had spent more time setting this one aside for later than reading it. Quite possibly, this just wasn’t the book for me. I once heard someone say that no two people ever read the same book, and that is about as accurate as it gets, so if the description for this one appeals to you, by all means, give it a gander.
Though I personally found
some of the language a little crude, I enjoyed the authentic characters, and the historical and cultural references about the North Caorlina mountains. Having grown up in the foothills of NC, I can attest to the authenticity of the book, which is a good mix of suspense, history and romance. The book moves back and forth between different times, but they were pretty well-delineated. I don’t mean to sound sexist at all, but I normally prefer female writers. However, Taylor Brown holds his own! I will be looking into his other works soon.