”I got friends who know how to have a good time
They roll their own and drink carolina shine
I’ve seen the devil in a dark coal mine
I’ve been higher than a Georgia pine

“Yeah there’s people all across the land
From New York out to ol’ San Fran
Just don’t give a damn all the time
In an outlaw state of mind”
--“Outlaw State of Mind,” Chris Stapleton, Songwriters: Ronnie Bowman / Chris Stapleton / Jerry Salley

4.5 Stars

Even though it was two months before the official hunting season began, Darl Moody was going hunting. He’d had his eye on that buck for a good two years, and by the size of him, he’d feed his family for a while on that one.

”Meat in the freezer was meat that didn’t have to be bought and paid for, and that came to mean a lot when the work petered off each winter.”

He follows signs of the deer’s path, the stripped bark, the scrapes on the ground, sipping from his pint of whiskey he had stashed in his camouflage pants, and listened for movement, waiting.

When he hears the snap of wood under a footstep, he turns to sees a gray-bodied animal on four legs, probably a boar hog, low to the ground.

”Three. Two. Squeeze.”

Darl Moody loves his family, helps out his mother when he can, and his sister and her family, too. He has a girlfriend he treats well, but they are far from rich. Simple, everyday folk, just trying to get from day to day with enough to get by on, and spend time with those they love. With this story, I think the less you know about it going in, the better it is, so I’m staying away from more of the plot.

This does to have a dark side to it; there are some disturbing descriptions included, but nothing that I found objectionable or gratuitous.

David Joy is one of my favourite authors for this genre, call it what you will. Southern Lit, Grit-Lit, Country-Noir, there are a plethora of categories that are variations on a theme. I’ve read all of his books, including his memoir, and loved them all. Some of my other favourite authors and their books came from a list of recommended books he used to have on his goodreads page, Taylor Brown, for one.

I read Joy’s “review” of this book, where he said that he “wanted to write a book as if William Gay and Flannery O'Connor co-wrote McCarthy's Child Of God. I wanted to create a "bad guy" as memorable as Lester Ballard, The Misfit, or the Paper-Hanger. This was as close as I could get to that.” I’ve only read one book by William Gay, several of Flannery O’Connor’s stories, and one McCarthy – although it was not his “Child of God,” but it seems to me that this hits the mark he was striving for.

David Joy is an incredibly gifted writer with a talent for weaving just enough darkness through his stories that you will feel every second tick by as the tension mounts, knowing that all it may take is just one small thing to change the course of this story.

Ask yourself what you would do for those you love, the people in your life that mean the most to you, and read this!


Pub Date: 14 AUG 2018

Many thanks for the ARC provided by PENGUIN GROUP Putnam / G.P. Putnam’s Sons

When Darl is out attempting to poach ahead of deer hunting season he makes a terrible mistake, and so begins this incredible story. Filled with violence and vengeance this is a story that reminds us how far we can go for what we love. There are times when the action gets so intense that an author lacking the skill of Joy would spiral out of control, that never happened. The pace and build up to the ultimate climax was damn near perfection. A helluva read I would recommend to anyone, especially those, like myself, drawn to western North Carolina. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this arc

This is a difficult review to write. The ultimate message is searing and important but it was so painful and disturbing to claw my way to that point. This must be the most grim book I have ever read, combined with extremely descriptive visualizations of how a body decomposes. It possesses such a raw urgency which underlies its extreme power but hurt to read . When Darl goes poaching onto a neighbor's land to shoot some game, he accidentally shoots the brother of one of the most crazed men around. Darl enlists his friend for life to help him bury the body as he sees no other way out. Suffice it to say that none of this ends well. On the plus side, it was wonderfully visual and perfect for an audio book. Religion, poverty, southern men, stoicism and ultimately love are wrapped up in a tight bundle, asking the ultimate question,"who would you give your life for?"Not for the faint hearted but for those able and willing to take a dive, it will be profound.

Darl Moody accidentally shoots Carol (Sissy) Brewer while poaching deer on the property of Tillmon (Coon) Coward. Carol was poaching ginseng on Coon's property, when Darl mistook him for a wild hog. Calling the police would have been smart, but that didn't happen. Instead Darl panics and gets his best friend Calvin Hooper to help him, but their efforts wind up tearing apart not only their lives, but those of the people around them. Darl and Calvin aren't smart enough to hide from Carol's brother Dwayne, who is filled with an equal mix of grief and the desire for revenge. Dwayne has spent his whole life protecting Carol and isn't going to stop now.

What would you do if someone killed the only person you had to love in this world? How far would you go to help your best friend? Whose life means more to you? Should you spread the pain you feel or can you find redemption and end the cycle? This book makes you think about all of those questions and leaves a giant one unanswered at the end. It was brilliant.

This was my third book by this author and I'll read anything else he chooses to write. I like it that he writes southern noir with the minimum of the clichés of the genre. This book had characters with actual jobs other than meth dealer. There were no guys who spend all their time drinking beer as they ride around in their pickups, stopping occasionally to commit senseless acts of violence. Not that this book wasn't violent. It's just that I understood the motivation. Even Dwayne's, who was ultimately a tragic (though scary) figure. There are also some disgusting (non-violent) scenes that are not for the squeamish and some small animals are murdered horrifically.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

If an author makes me want to keep reading well past bedtime, I am a fan for life. David Joy's books are so atmospheric and lyrical that I had to slow down to reread passages that were so beautifully crafted. The Line That Held Us definitely falls into this category. There are hints of Flannery O'Connor, Tim O'Brien, William Faulkner, and Cormac McCarthy here, making The Line That Held Us a bit creepy and gothic, too--in a good way. Is Appalachian Gothic a thing? If it is, David Joy's books fall into that category. I would always like to see a few more complex female characters, but the male characters are so compelling and the book is so suspenseful, I was happy to keep reading.

David Joy is a Jedi master with language and words, transposing them into the finest pieces of storytelling you’ll ever get your hands on. His third novel is no exception and he starts it with one of the best opening line I’ve seen in a while.
[Darl Moody didn’t give a wet sack of shit what the state considered poaching.]
In The Line That Held Us, Joy stays close to his old habits that I believe his readers love to see in every story the man writes – one that is deeply rooted in place, characters trying to play the hands they are dealt, and survive a noir world. He does it while showing the incredible beauty this world hides. The beauty in going down the bottom of a pitch black barrel and coming out of it bruised and scattered, but alive and with a faint dim of light showing in your eyes. In Joy’s novel, survival is the true happy ending.
That novel also clashes with Joy’s other work in the aspect that it has a proper villain. A William Gay-esque twisted and fucked up human being. A mean, bat-shit crazy, disgusting man that is blinded by love. A love so strong that it’ll eventually send him on a violent bender, chasing for vengeance, retribution and redemption. I know some will say that Jacob’s father also was a proper villain, although I’ve always pictured Jacob as his own worst enemy. So there you have it : A man with nothing to lose, now that he did the only thing he loved in this world, chasing after two best friends, ready to destroy anything or anyone that shall cross his path.
This is the story of what you’ll do for the ones you love. Of what one would endure and fight for in the name of a significant other. A story about the bond between two human beings that is tougher than the rest. A story that made me shiver, gasp, shout and cry as much as it touched my heart. This is not a story about black or white, about light or dark, nor that it is about good vs evil.
This is a love story à la David Joy.
I cannot recommend this novel enough. Joy’s talent and prose is only matched by the magnificence of the Appalachian Mountains.

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

♪♫♪ “Hello Darkness, my old friend . . . ” ♪♫♪

Oh Mr. Joy, how I’ve missed you.

Perhaps the most ironic thing of all when it comes to this author is his name. If you were ever curious where the “Black As Mitchell’s Heart” moniker came from – David Joy’s stories are about as bleak as one brain could ever conjure. As my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2230705807?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">Bookwife</a> stated over on her review, we pretty much have a Google Alert set for anything new in David Joy’s world, up to and including I now read what he tells me to (thanks again for turning me on to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2343870763?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">Larry Brown</a>). We most definitely were in full-fledged “This Is America and We Want It Now” mode while waiting to be approved for <i>The Line That Held Us</i> and I am so happy to say that once again David Joy delivered the misery in spades – just the way I like it.

The story here is pretty simple – Darl Moody has been chasing after a dream buck for ages and has tracked him down to Coon Coward’s private property. What ol’ Coon don’t know won’t hurt him, though, so Darl waits until he’s out of town and sets about in the wee hours to do some poaching. The only thing he wasn’t expecting? Carol Brewer to be doing some poaching of his own – digging ginseng to be exact. Rather than face the crazy which is Dwayne Brewer, Darl does the only other thing he can think of – enlist his best friend Calvin’s help and bury the body . . . .

I know what you're thinking: "This can't end well." That might possibly be the best thing about David Joy’s books. You <b>know</b> there is not going to be a happy ending or that the characters will magically escape the superbadawful they have set themselves up for. I love how his stories are all different, but touch on similar themes of love, loyalty, family, friendship and religion (in the most shuddery way possible). Not to mention, he really makes you feel like you are truly in the heart of the south.

When it comes to hick lit, he’s the bees knees. Every Star.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley for approving me for this one before I stormed your offices!</i>

Joy is the most looked forward to author for me now. Easiest five stars ive gave this year.
great book!

I've been a big David Joy fan ever since his debut novel, WHERE ALL LIGHT TENDS TO GO, was released in 2015. It was one of my favorite crime reads of that year. Joy solidified his place as a master of Appalachian Noir with his sophomore effort, THE WEIGHT OF THIS WORLD . Now, with THE LINE THAT HELD US he has simply expanded upon an ever increasing catalog of top-notch fiction. I've previously stated that Joy's writing is poetic, brutal, and illuminating, reminiscent of Daniel Woodrell and Ron Rash, and that continues to be the case. In this latest gem, Joy sets the reader up with a pretty simple premise: Darl Moody is hunting in the woods and accidentally shoots a man he mistakes for a deer. Unfortunately for Darl, the man he killed is a Brewer, and has a brother, Dwayne Brewer, who is no foreigner to bloodlust. Fearing reprisal, Darl hides the killing with the help of his best friend, Calvin Hooper. The rest of the novel is an action-packed Russian nesting doll of increasing complications, twists, and turns. Joy is a master at making a reader wince with dread. You just have a sense that things aren't going to end well for his characters. Interestingly enough, though, this novel offers up more hope than his previous two. "Grace" is a word that is thrown around in the book, and is easily one of the novel's themes. And grace has gifted us with the talented David Joy. Put this book at the top of your list of summer reads.

The Line That Held us is a story of that takes place in the border region of Tennessee and North Carolina. Darl, who poaches to make ends meet stalks a large buck on private property. Also Carol, Sissy, Brewer steals ginseng from the same property. Carol, although, not fully explained seem is slow. While digging around for ginseng, he is mistaken for a boar by Darl. Darl is 200 yards away, and Carol is dressed in gray and on all fours. Darl fires and kills Carol. He panics and gets the help of his best friend, Calvin, to help. Calvin reluctantly agrees and helps dispose of the body. Carol is noticed missing by his brother, Dwayne, who is violent, drinks too much, and is big enough to get away with it. Dwayne starts investigating his brother's death and what develops is a classic case of Appalachian justice and revenge.

The characters are well developed and diverse although there is some stereotyping. Dwayne is perhaps the most stereotypical. His massive size and backwoods attitude make him a driving figure in the book. The setting contributes to the free action of the characters. Things that normally couldn't be done in the urban or suburban setting fit perfectly in Appalachia. The plot moves quickly but not always predictably leaving the reader on a thrilling ride. I picked up this book and did not set it down until it I finished. It was quite a ride, and I found it quite a surprise in contemporary fiction. A well thought out and exciting read.

From the first second we heard about this book..my partner in crime and I went into full fangirling mode...…..Then it went up on Netgalley. We plotted ways to beg for it. We checked Netgalley a thousand times a day multiple times.



The book gods were good to us one day and someone messed up and let us get approved. Thank you!!!

See David Joy is an author that has caught us by our dark little dried up hearts. It's even to the point where we've started going to his site and seeing what he is reading and adding even those books to our TBRs. *Dear Mr Joy..please don't file those restraining orders-we are both too lazy and anti-social to leave our houses.*



I know. I should be ashamed of myself.

#sorrynotsorry

Enough rambling! On to the book...and what a frigging book this is. (Don't worry I'm not going to spoil anything. I just ramble on about books I love because I WANT everyone to experience them.)

Darl Moody sneaks onto an old man's property to hunt that monster buck that he has been drooling over. He sees what he thinks is it but once he shoots it he realizes that he has shot a man that was also taking advantage of that old man's absence by stealing his ginseng. So Darl goes to his best buddy Calvin and gets him to agree to just bury the body. That way they don't end up in trouble.

That always works.

Yeah right.

Turns out that the man he shot has a bat shit crazy brother.

That's when the fun really starts.


There is something about David Joy's writing. I honestly think he is really the best I've read at hitting the whole gritty south thing. He makes you care for characters that you never imagined even considering. He makes you think. He KNOWS the mountains better than so many that try to write these kinds of books just never can lay their finger on. I just can't even begin to describe how good he is. And you guys know my hateful ass does not give compliments easily. This guy is the real deal.
Now that being said. This book is dark as hell. I mean so dark that I need to go and read something fluffy now to erase the images from my mind. You know...something by Stephen King or similar to that.
Because this bad boy makes you bring out the dark side..and it sorta scared my pants off.



All the frigging stars.

The devil drew the line between the selfless and the selfish so that often a man could not tell on which side he stood.

David Joy is a heck of a writer and he can capture a sense of place better than most. But, and it’s a big but, his writing is dark. Exceptionally dark. I think the reviewer who commented that it could be called bleaktion. Ultimately, too bleak for my taste.

I'm between 4 and 4.5 stars.

After reading David Joy's newest novel, I've come to the conclusion that writers like him and Michael Farris Smith deserve their own sub-genre of fiction, one that I'll call "bleak-tion."

This sub-genre would contain beautifully written books in which a feeling of despair or doom is quite pervasive, and you know that something monumentally, well, bleak is going to happen. (See Joy's The Weight of This World or Smith's Desperation Road or The Fighter.) I don't mean this in a disparaging way, but you shouldn't read these novels in search of a belly laugh.

In the latest addition to the world of bleak-tion, The Line That Held Us, Darl Moody is a country boy who may not have a ton of ambition, but he has taken good care of his mother as well as his married sister and her family since the death of his father a few years before. He's never done anything worse than drink one (or two) too many, except perhaps try and hunt a deer before the season officially opens.

When he's convinced he has seen a colossal buck roaming another man's land, he needs to find it. He knows that poaching is wrong, and he knows it's even worse when you're hunting off the land of a man who is out of town for his sister's funeral, but this buck could provide enough for him and his family to eat. Although the deer proves elusive, he spots a wild hog and takes aim.

It's not a hog he has killed, however; it's Carol "Sissy" Brewer, the slower, gentler son of the brash, violent Brewer family. Carol was hunting ginseng on the farm when he was shot. Darl doesn't know what to do, so he turns to the only person he has ever been able to count on, his best friend since childhood, Calvin Hooper. Despite Calvin's misgivings, he agrees to help Darl bury Carol, and the two vow never to tell anyone what happened that night, which becomes progressively harder as they become increasingly haunted by the events of that evening.

When Carol's older brother Dwayne comes looking for him, he knows right away something bad has happened, and he will leave no stone unturned until he finds what happened to him, and whom shall be held responsible. This determination to uncover the mystery of his brother's disappearance sets him on a collision course with Darl and Calvin, and threatens to upend all of their lives. Dwayne believes in an eye for an eye, and he will exact his revenge, no matter how many people get hurt in the process.

Needless to say, this isn't a happy read, but it is powerful—even gut-wrenching at times—and you probably can predict how the story will unfold. But Joy is an exceptional storyteller, and even the commonplace becomes more fascinating when seen through his lens. He so accurately evokes the mounting sense of dread, the fear, the unhingedness that his characters feel, and he draws you into a story which only rarely has moments of lightness.

Fair warning: this is a book with some graphically depicted violence (mostly toward humans and once toward an animal) and some pretty detailed descriptions of the process a body goes through once a person's life ends. (It made for a somewhat squeamish read on my red-eye flight, I must tell you.) If those things are triggers for you, you'll probably want to pass this one by.

You may want to have a more lighthearted novel at the ready after you finish The Line That Held Us, but you should definitely read this, if only to see a master of bleak-tion at work once again.

NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!