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A review by ida_ree
Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash
4.0
Shave off a fraction of the fourth star for a couple of small editorial inconsistencies that bugged me. Getting past that, every Ron Rash story I've ever read employs poetic use of language, and the story and characters are good.
Les is an about-to-retire sheriff in an Appalachian community. Becky is a park ranger who is new to the area and finds peace from a traumatic past in the North Carolina mountains. Together, the two of them investigate the poisoning of a local trout stream. In the process, they must deal with generations-long grudges and alliances among the locals, as well as their own pasts and current flaws. The meth epidemic, something familiar to this Missouri girl, is almost a character itself.
The story is told in alternating points of view, with Les's voice being down-to-earth, straight narrative and practical. Meanwhile, Becky's passages are more stream-of-consciousness, laden with images from the woods and streams.
Les is an about-to-retire sheriff in an Appalachian community. Becky is a park ranger who is new to the area and finds peace from a traumatic past in the North Carolina mountains. Together, the two of them investigate the poisoning of a local trout stream. In the process, they must deal with generations-long grudges and alliances among the locals, as well as their own pasts and current flaws. The meth epidemic, something familiar to this Missouri girl, is almost a character itself.
The story is told in alternating points of view, with Les's voice being down-to-earth, straight narrative and practical. Meanwhile, Becky's passages are more stream-of-consciousness, laden with images from the woods and streams.