A review by mooncrab
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

5.0

A debut novel??? Woah. SO impressive. This is an amazing book. It’s described as a “literary thriller” which is a perfect category for it; the slow-burning suspense builds alongside nuanced, beautiful writing. It’s ripe with foreshadowing and multiple perspectives on the same events. Appalachia is always a great setting, and while it is more of a background character in this story, the regional culture & experiences provide the overall context which is unique and interesting. The main themes are family & community, but so much ground is covered: religion, abuse of power, secrets, loyalty, lost innocence, addiction, grief & loss, redemption, hope. I had to remind myself to breathe for the entire last third of the book, it is so intense and vivid and heartbreakingly satisfying. The ending is perfect. This is a flawless novel to me and I’m now going to read everything else this author has written.