When These Mountains Burn

Starred review from June 1, 2020
Joy (The Line that Held Us) serves up an engrossing drama of violence and vengeance in western North Carolina. In 2016, as the Tellico fire burns thousands of acres, Joy delves into the life of retired forester Raymond Mathis; his 40-year-old opiate-addicted son, Ricky, who has already stolen everything from Ray’s house that could be pawned; Ricky’s fellow addict and thief Denny Rattler, bearing a face “whittled” by drugs to “bone and shadow”; and DEA agent Ronald Holland. After a pill pusher tells Ray he has to pay $10,000 or he’ll kill Ricky, the four men become unlikely allies. The money was meant to be Ray’s nest egg, having received it after a drawn-out battle with the state over eminent domain. Joy’s razor-sharp prose details disturbing, graphic images of brutality that begin when Raymond resolves to protect his son. The threads of the story intertwine after Ricky gets hurt and Ronald connects the dots. As the fire spreads, the characters offer emotional reflections on the loss of their mountain culture, already being “sold off for tourists dollars” at the time of the fire. Joy handles everything with ease, proving himself to be one hell of a writer. Agent: Julia Kenny, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.

Starred review from October 1, 2020

Set against a background of forest fires raging through the mountains of western North Carolina, Joy's (The Line That Held Us) latest brings together the desolate and solemn lives of an addict, a DEA agent, and a retired forestry service employee to tell the story of drugs, loneliness, and the transformation from old, traditional ways into a world filled with drugs, crime, and despondency. Told from the alternating points of view of several main characters, this well-plotted tale weaves together the seemingly unconnected lives of those struggling to find a place in this new environment. While a father reminisces about a lost time when people took care of each other, an addict strives to find his next fix, and an undercover agent forges ahead to unravel the trafficking of drugs into other states and the Cherokee Nation. The author portrays both the main characters and those slowly introduced to play critical roles as real people making hard, and not always wise, decisions. Narrator MacLeod Andrews gives a stellar performance with readings of numerous characters, all of whom will feel as real to listeners as their coworkers or neighbors. Andrews reads with a subtlety that allows each character to speak in their own, distinctive voice. As the fire rages and intrudes, so do the drug trade and its effects on users and the police departments and DEA agents who attempt to stop it. VERDICT This exceptional audiobook is an essential purchase for most libraries. Offer this admirable work to those interested in a measured but intense look at the ravages of drugs.--Lisa Youngblood, Harker Heights P.L., TX

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