https://www.amazon.com/review/R3NJT1UGPSZCUR/

(also posting at Goodreads and Bookbub)

“Appalachian Book of the Dead” is splendid book, with a lot of power and human pathos woven through it. Be aware, though, that it starts off with violence with two escaped convicts on the loose. The book seems at the beginning to be a graphic crime thriller—especially when one of the convicts engages in a senseless act of brutality. But then the novel segues into a literary-quality human interest story about three diverse people trying to find their way to meaningful lives. There are flashes of a kind of magical realism in the book, which adds to its richness—and its uniqueness.

The writing is excellent. The author puts the reader right into the scene with descriptive details and a full evocation of the senses. He also has a rare knack for totally nailing characters in a few tight lines. Consider: “They were a bunch of drunks. Men who tore their shirts off and tipped bottles back, their eyes wild as their throats worked frantically, Adam’s apples bobbing it their windpipes as they guzzled the white liquor. They never were the sipping type.”

One of the three main characters is a would-be artist named Joy. Married to a cynical, bored retired man who grumps his way through the story, Joy dreams of “moving to the mountains, reinventing herself as a craft potter. But she wanted something more elemental, a wood firing to see what happy accidents she could create with heat, ash, and smoke.” Thus, she moves her husband and herself to the mountains and has an old-fashion kiln constructed for her pottery making as she seeks to create a new life.
Cal, Joy’s husband, is writing his memoirs—or pretending to do so anyway. He doesn’t particularly want to live in the mountains, and in his restlessness, takes to studying Marcus Aurelius’s ancient meditations, which make Cal “feel like a modern-day sentinel on the ramparts at the borders of civilization.”
Ainsley, a young beauty waiting for her trust fund to kick in, also takes refuge in the woods of an old campground in the mountains. Recently widowed despite her youth, she could easily have become just another “poor little rich girl” cliché in the hands of a less intuitive, talented author. But she takes center stage in many a scene as a complex, fully realized character.
There is a spiritual and intellectual quality that permeates this book, making it far richer than it’s creative story line. Yet the plot is compelling as Joy, Ainsley, and Cal all come together in a series of encounters that will significantly change their lives. And there is still the lurking threat of the escaped convicts to add a tingle of fear and an edge of thrill in the story.

All in all, an excellent, atmospheric book with compelling characters, multi-layered plot, and literary-quality writing.

This was a struggle for me. Various converging viewpoints, all from blandly unlikeable characters. A whole lot of angst, with little actually happening. It just seemed to try too hard to be too many things...while not particularly delivering on any of them. If not for a bit of a twist at the end, my rating would have been significantly lower.

This book just didn't do it for me. I thought the story was scattered and didn't find any of the characters likable.

Wow. This book literally has me going “Wait...what?”

Thank you to Southern Fried Karma and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Im just about speechless. This book had twists and turns and reveals that were done so well in my opinion. Just when I thought I had something figured out, the very next chapter would prove I was wrong or at least not thinking in the right direction. Plus I’m a character driven person, and even though I didn’t connect to the characters, they still made me feel things. I also loved the chapters that made you think. I am still not over the ending. 4/5 stars for me and I’m definitely buying a copy for my shelf.

Appalachian Book of the Dead by Dale Neal

I am not really sure what to say about this book. I can’t say I “liked” it but it did make me think. I thought about the land and woods and the fox that lived on the land. I thought of the ghosts that inhabited the land and the stories told over fires and during daylight slipped throughout the pages of this book. I thought about good and evil, how we live our days, beliefs held about life and death and what comes after and between...I thought...so that was good. But I never really saw the point of the book and as I just wrote that I wonder if indeed this book is trying to tell us that the only point in living and dying and thinking is that there is no point at all.

I have to say that the characters, all of them, were impossible for me to relate to or want as friends. I understand (maybe) why they behaved as they did but never became invested in them or their stories. The story was told with flashbacks and perhaps visions of what had been and might be in the future and at times I wondered whose voice I was listening to. The writing was beautiful, lyrical and described scenes in a way that spoke to all of my senses.

Again...hard too know how to write a review. I think that the play on words related to “the book of the dead” was interesting in that the Buddhist Book of the Dead is read from by more than one character and there were definitely a number of dead or soon to be dead characters in the book...and additionally the dead in the ghost stories so...good job on that tying the two together.

So how to evaluate the book…

Did I like the book? Not really
Did it make me think? Definitely
Did I like any of the characters? No
Could I see the purpose of the book? Not really
Would I read more books by this author? Maybe

Hmm…

Thank you to NetGalley and Southern Fried Karma for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

This was a fantastic read. It was so different to other murder novels I have read, so unusual. I really couldn’t predict the outcome. The sense of foreboding from the very first chapter was astounding. Like Joey in ‘Friends’, I wanted so often to put it in the fridge, I wanted to put it down, away from me, just to avoid what was coming next, but the desire to read on was just too overwhelming. It was excellent. The psychopathic murderer, presumed dead, although no body was found, is affecting the lives of the residents - characters were so credible, some likeable, some detestable - but all totally realistic. It was a great read. I loved it.

I throughly enjoyed this book, and savored it to the last page. The author is an exquisite story teller.
The book started off by keeping me on edge with the telling of an escape of two prisoners, one is captured and the other vanishes in to the deep woods. As the author moves along to the the characters who call that Yonah forest their home, I could feel a sense of dread throughout even the calm moments of the book.
The characters are so strong, love them or hate them (I hated Cal), you’re going to remember them. Thanks for the ARC Southern Fried Karma And Netgalley

I couldn’t resist requesting this book based only on its title and cover. The writing painted clear pictures and interesting characters. But, the plot just stagnated and the story didn’t come together for me.

This one just didn’t work for me. The writing was quite good but the story was a miss. I guess metaphysical thrillers are not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story. I loved how you felt an unknowing dread the entire time. Not knowing how things were going to turn. This is a supernatural thriller that just blew me away. The ending was fantastic. I will definitely be reading more by Mr. Gale and recommending this book to everyone I know.

I read this at our cabin in the woods this weekend and it was the perfect read: spooky, atmospheric and well-written. All of the characters were well-drawn, although not all were at all likeable. And it had the chill of a good ghost story, without being horrifying and filled with gore. Neal did a great job of describing the beauty and eeriness of the Appalachian mountains.

Appalachian Book of the Dead is a excellent thriller that has me from the first chapter. Great writing and well developed characters. I would love to read more from this author.

After reviewing 700+ books over the last year, at times I’m inured to any but the most bracing covers, titles and plots. I must admit the author won me with all three, starting with that stunning cover.

I did some backstory research as well and found this additional description — “A Southern Buddhist Thriller” — and info on the publisher, Southern Fried Karma, which offers a refund on books readers can’t readily 4- or 5 star.

Now, I knew I’d discovered a literary feast as tasty as the pile of bacon, creamy grits, and sweet tea my husband and I dug into on our honeymoon breakfast in Boone, North Carolina. I’m a mountain gal at heart anyway. So we’re simpatico on matters of place even before I open to page one.

And what a story! Described as “a metaphysical thriller, a meditation on recovery and reincarnation, marriage and betrayal, death and rebirth, an exploration of how our fears give flesh to our hungry ghosts,” APPALACHIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD captivates with poetic writing, a gripping story line, compelling characters, atmosphere for days, and just plain great Southern literary goodness. 5/5

Pub Date 09 Sep 2019.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

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