Sometimes life doesn't take you where you expect to go. This is the story of Bill, whose journey from corporate family man to going in search of his rural, more humble roots I found very powerful. He meets some interesting people along the way, and learns some important truths about himself. Hovis brings the whole story to life, and weaves a captivating tale that will draw the reader in quickly. A powerful story set during a time of great change, seen through the lens of one man's life.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

This is not a happy story. It is a slow-motion train wreck and as much as you want to look away, you just can’t. Bill has a seemingly perfect life and one night starts a slow and steady slide to rock bottom and he’s taking as many people with him as possible. All of the characters in this book are damaged and fragile in a way that hastens their destruction and it’s so hard to watch. Their broken parts interact in the worst possible ways and everyone ends up with scars from the contact. Although the story won’t leave you with warm, fuzzy feelings, it is worth the read. This book shows that no matter how far you’ve fallen, there’s always hope for redemption.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

I'm a heavily tattooed person, so I'm always interested in books that talk about tattoos and the culture. This book ultimately fell pretty short for me. I just couldn't force myself to finish the book.

I requested this novel because I like to highlight Southern writers on my blog and the blurb for this book told me that this was a story that highlighted a Southern experience outside of those often told in novels (or at least those that I have read). I enjoyed the Charlotte setting and the look into tattoo culture. But, overall, this one didn't quite work for me. I think in some ways I wanted to put in firmly in a genre, which it didn't fit and I didn't quite connect with the characters.