With the “profound sense of Southern spirituality” he is known for (Publishers Weekly), Billy Coffey draws us into a town where good and evil—and myth and reality—intertwine in unexpected ways.
Everyone in Crow Hollow knows of Alvaretta Graves, the old widow who lives in the mountain. Many call her a witch; others whisper she’s insane. Everyone agrees the vengeance Alvaretta swore at her husband’s death hovers over them all. That vengeance awakens when teenagers stumble upon Alvaretta’s cabin, incurring her curse. Now a sickness moves through the Hollow. Rumors swirl that Stu Graves has risen for revenge. And the people of Crow Hollow are left to confront not only the darkness that lives on the mountain, but the darkness that lives within themselves.
“Lord a mercy, friend,
you ain't never heard so many amens
as was uttered in the Holy Fire that night.”
Intrigue surfaces from the very first page escalating headlong into the final line. Culminating in a twisted, gratifying conclusion, it is effortlessly deemed a quick read. I frequently try to describe Billy Coffey's stories to people only to find a loss for words met with confusion. And like most books, even the various summaries given for a particular work are vague and cloud any prospective reader from comprehending the braided narrative that awaits them. There is dark humor, heartache, terror, suspense and always a feeling of potential supernatural activity on the precipice, whether or not it actually manifests. The Curse of Crow Hollow is a timely piece for the Halloween and Autumn seasons. The audience can embrace the foreboding woods of lore that are so dead they come alive with the hallucinative ideas courtesy of the bizarre camaraderie of Crow “Holler”.
In the author's typical fashion, the characters are uniquely crafted. The names are perfect: Bucky Vest, Alvaretta Graves, and Briar and Chessie Hodge are just a few of the quirky residents of Crow Hollow. I wish I had a Chessie Hodge in my life. A personal favorite, Chessie has each individual walking on thin ice and ever so careful not to get “fancy with his words” lest he meet his Maker early. It is a combination of colorful, original personalities and the the unprecedented plots that reel me in to the hypnotic Coffey novels which are exemplified in The Curse of Crow Hollow. As eccentric as these figures and circumstances may seem, the reader will undoubtedly relate in one form or another either intimately or on a global level. And who can ignore the amazing dialogue purely encased in their hillbilly lingo? I can still lucidly hear their accents when I put the book down.
There are morals to take away from this story. Inundated lessons steeped on ignorance and pride, Alvaretta's curse clarifies the madness on a monumental scale that spreads as wildfire rolling into a downfall of an entire community of hypocrites and innocents alike. Thus brings forth a hopelessness and insanity equating a mere zombie apocalypse or masses of angry villagers straight out of Frankenstein.
“On the surface, Alvaretta's curse had changed everything.
But underneath,
things weren't much different than they'd ever been.”
Many treasures accompany this writer such as leaving the mesmerizing tales open for possible continuation. This is not done to the point of dissatisfaction and the need for closure, but with an ambiance of lingering mystery. As I have previously stated with my reviews on The Devil Walks in Mattingly and When Mockingbirds Sing, Billy Coffey has instantly become one of my three favorite modern authors taking an honorable place next to Neil Gaiman and within the timeless literary pantheon of Ray Bradbury and Charles Dickens.
with a vision far beyond the ordinary. He is a regular contributor to
several publications, where he writes about faith and life. Billy lives with
his wife and two children in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
his wife and two children in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
Visit the author at his blog What I Learned Today and at his website,
Preview and purchase The Curse of Crow Hollow
at Amazon and at Thomas Nelson
This book was provided free for review by
Thomas Nelson Publishers
