New American fiction hasn’t been much of a fertile category since the new millennium, and you might ask, “Why is that?” Possibly it’s a result of one or more of the current crises: economic, spiritual, or social.

Publishers, booksellers, readers, and some critics have seemed satisfied with formulaic novels cranked out by a circle of celebrity purveyors. The accepted literary style of this moment is slick, soulless and disposable, a description that could also apply to many aspects of current American life.

That is the starting point and the setting of “Small Town Sins,” the first novel by Ken Jarowoski, scheduled for publication this summer.

Jarowoski has smashed the mould. He has created as rich and fully realized a book as any I’ve encountered in the past, oh, twenty years.

Jarowoski arrives on the scene as a master of plotting, pacing, dialogue, exposition, metaphor, and the novelist’s full bag o’ tricks. The sense of place he conveys of a neglected Pennsylvania town of 5,000 goes far beyond Rust Belt clichés. What makes this book remarkable is its utterly persuasive depiction of each small-town character -- and, with that, all the yearnings and defects of the human heart.

There are many passages and scenes to dote on in this book. Several off-hand exchanges pack a punch. An officious librarian is compelled to abruptly share an awkwardly intimate moment with the drug-addicted father of a Down’s Syndrome child. A hardware store clerk, a tired septuagenarian doctor, two overworked nurses, and an amputee convenience shop owner: all emerge as memorable and emotionally developed figures, where they would surely have been merely disposable plot enablers in the hands of a lesser writer. (A choir of one-dimensional villains appears in the form of a sadistic child-molesting priest, some trailer-park lowlifes, and the stereotypical hard-hearted floozie, but all play their parts convincingly.)

Jarowoski’s storytelling gifts are striking. His writing, which uses shifting narrators, is assured and compelling across each transition. This is a page-turner. It’s intense and moving. It offers sharply realistic glimpses into lives that are never commemorated, even by the self-appointed working-class poets. (One character archly says, “Even Bruce Springsteen isn’t Bruce Springsteen.”) The book belongs to the tradition of John Steinbeck, and Thornton Wilder, and will deserve serious attention from critics and scholars n

Beyond its many merits as a novel, “Small Town Sins” may be among the most hopeful documents to emerge from a difficult era in American life. Inspiration may be the last thing anyone would expect to find among the punched-out heartland towns similar to the one Jarowoski depicts. Yet ultimately, this tale will inspire readers and reviewers in 2023. It will generate a lot of attention, deservedly so.

It sets an admirably high standard for the author’s next work, as well as for the current generation of American novelists. I’m grateful to Macmillan publishers and NetGalley.com for the opportunity to discover this extraordinary book, pre-publication. I recommend it to all.

I surely wasn't expecting to dearly enjoy this book. I love to try new authors and so glad NetGalley/publisher gave me the chance to try this out. I will definitely be following this author now. The story goes back and forth to tie in the people of this small town and the author does a great job of it. I really liked them all and could understand what they were feeling and sympathize with each problem. I highly recommend this book and will most definitely read it a second time.

Once I started this book I couldn't put it down.

This story follows the lives of 3 people from Pennsylvania. The story is set back in the rustic days, all 3 people told their own stories. They were all relatable and had real feelings.

Thank you, Henry Holt and Co for a gifted digital copy! Here is my honest review. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I live in a town of about 10,000 so I think that qualifies as small. We have a lot of community activities and really enjoy getting to know our neighbors.

This is done through three points of views and is set in the small town of Locksburg Pennsylvania which consists of about 5,000 residents. Nathan is a volunteer fireman who uncovers a large sum of cash in a burning building. Callie is a nurse who loves her patients dearly. And, Andy, a recovering heroin addict who loses his wife and daughter. Its not long before Nathans stolen money threatens to upend his life. Callie isn’t sure she’ll be able to help her dying patient, and Andy is unsure if he’ll be able to save the day.

The three-story lines are loosely tied together and it’s almost as if you are reading three different books at times. I think I would have preferred if the stories intersected a little more, and maybe a little more intertwined versus being so unique. The characters however were very relatable and easy to empathize with and I really enjoyed getting to know each of them. I found the thriller aspect of this book lacking as the twists were predictable and the pacing was slower than I appreciate in a thriller. Overall this was an okay read and I think it is a thought provoking read – I just wasn’t in love with it.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher, Henry Holt & Company, @henryholtbooks, and the Author, Ken Jaworowski, for my advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

Check this one out August 1st 2023!

Small town Sins
I just completed this breathtakingly beautiful and haunting symphony of a novel and I felt compelled to immediately pen this review (typically I need a few days of reflection first).

Many thanks to Netgalley for supplying me with an eARC of this captivating book.

This novel examines the raw depths of love and grief at the author lyrically and comprehensively walks us through the lives of his everyday individuals who almost by happenstance experience emotions ranging from shattering pain to heart achingly breathtaking joy and beauty.

Engagingly well-written stories coupled with the author’s magical talent of providing us a hiatus from our all too familiar daily struggles as we view viewing the world through the eyes and hearts of his all to humanly fallible but well- intentioned cast of characters.

Special thanks to Henry Holt and Co for gifting me an advanced reader copy through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review

Small Town Sins is a dark thriller with an emotional touch (and a tiny bit of humor). It is basically three stories, loosely tied together, narrated by three different main characters. Each of the characters has a secret they are trying to hide. Along their journeys, they’re going to “commit sins,” but at the same time, find a deeper meaning of life.

This is a super quick read which had me hooked from the first page. I couldn’t figure out which of the three stories I enjoyed most since they were each so unique. I would have liked to see a little more detail throughout, especially towards the end. Overall, I had a great time reading Small Town Sins and I would encourage readers who enjoy dark thrillers to check it out.

I enjoyed “Small Town Sins,” a novel of humanity and suspense set in America’s Rust Belt.

Welcome to Lockesburg, Pennsylvania, once a thriving coal town, now a struggling backwater that’s lost three-quarters of its population. And welcome to the lives of the story’s three main characters:

Nathan, a metal shop worker and volunteer firefighter who finds a bag of money and now must choose either to stay with the wife who loves him or leave the town he’s always wanted to escape with the mistress who clearly is up to no good;

Callie, a disfigured, caring nurse who is desperate to grant a 16-year-old terminal cancer patient her dying wish over the objections of her family of religious zealots and possible kidnapping charges; and

Andy, who with his wife, conquered addiction to raise a child afflicted by Down Syndrome but whose life is now taking one very bad turn after another as he seeks to stop a pedophile.

First-time Author Ken Jaworowski has created three very human characters with whom readers can identify and empathize, even if they aren’t likable 100% of the time. And he has done a masterful job of throwing each one into a desperate situation that is the product of his or her own compulsion or bad judgment and that should keep readers biting their nails as they turn pages to find out what happens next. Of course, desperate situations usually involve villains and Mr. Jaworowski has given us three, if not more, that readers should love to hate. He’s also proved that he can write absurd comedy as well as gritty realism as well as scenes that may just break readers’ hearts. (Potential readers should be aware that there are scenes involving graphic violence, drug addiction, and the “life on the streets” that can lead to.)

My one criticism would be that there’s a certain predictability to parts of “Small Town Sins.” I found some of the plot twists highly foreseeable. Then again, guessing what’s probably going to happen and being proved right some 50 or 100 pages later can be fun.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Ken Jaworowski, and publisher Henry Holt and Company for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

Interesting book with multiply story lines. Author tries to tie it all together. Does a pretty good job Can sometimes be confusing though.
Do look forward to more books from this author
Thanks NetGalley for advance copy of this book

Small Town Sins by Author Ken Jaworowski – 5 Stars
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
ISBN: 9781250881670

Great book. The phrase “I couldn’t put this book down” is used often, but I can’t think of a better way to say how much I enjoyed it. Each chapter reveals more about three people living in a small town who struggle with their choices, past and present, and the consequences these choices create. The story is brilliant and well written.

Reviewer: Nancy

Small Town Sins is a novel that grabs you from the very beginning. And continues to invite you to keep reading and reading. The characters are strongly captured and their lives, often driven by bad decisions, are believable albeit, so very sad. The twists and turns will tether you to your chair. The ending is thought provoking. Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #SmallTownSins, #KenJaworowski, #NetGalley.

I read this book in a sitting. I don't say that often.

Small Town Sins follows three people in a completely forgettable town. Literally could be Anywhere, USA. I think it was touted as a thriller, but it's as much a study in what happens when your world takes a sudden and sharp left turn as anything. Solid character development, solid story development. Just enough unexpected twists to keep a reader guessing.

Easy read, not over the top and believable. Plenty of emotional pull and very relatable. Excellent read.

Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and Netgalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting story of three people in a small town in Pennsylvania whose lives suddenly become unexpectedly complicated due to events in their lives and decisions that they make. While the 3 main characters do not intersect other than being residents of the small town, they each are well developed, really human, and likeable. I found myself rooting for them and cringing when they messed up. Their stories hurt, angered, inspired and made me smile. The endings of each story were so well done!

First there is Nathan, a volunteer fireman who makes a decision to go into a burning building to rescue a man and ends up leaving with a bag of cash that is not his. Next is Callie, who suffers from a harelip surgery gone wrong, leaving her with a horrible scar and very few dates. She is a nurse at the hospital where a girl, with cancer and only days to live, has fundamentalist parents who believe she will be healed despite the prognosis. Last is Andy, a recovering heroin addict who takes on the mission of hunting down a serial predator.

This is not the typical "thriller" in the sense that there are no big reveals or unexpected twists but its so more than that. I tore through this easily as the writing is so well down.

Highly recommend!

Raw and thought-provoking. I was invested in the characters' storylines pretty much from start to finish. The atmosphere of a small town was incredibly written, too. I think this is a great choice for book clubs specifically.

This book was amazing! It follows 3 people from a small town in Pennsylvania. Each have their own skeletons and each is trying to forge their own path as well as forget their past sins. It is very relateable, I think everyone has regrets in life and things they would like to forget but can't. The characters aren't saints and make new sins along the way, some for good reasons but sometimes not turning out quite they way they expected. There were some twists and enexpected turns I didn't expect which made it so enjoyable. The writing was really good, each chapter kept me wanting more. The characters were very well written and each story ended in a bittersweet sort of way. Each characters story concluded pearfectly in my opinion. I would definitely read this again and can't wait to see more from this author. I definitely recommend this book!

What a great book! This book showcased three stories of people living in Locksburg. The book went back and forth between the separate stories while the reader begins to recognize parts of Locksburg and the various people that live there. The author painted a picture of Locksburg as a small town in rural United States, It is the kind of town that houses abandoned buildings and derelict store fronts. It is the kind of town that a person wants to leave as soon as possible. This book tells the stories of those that didn't leave, either by choice or unfortunate circumstances. Definitely a 5 star book from the opening pages to the lovely ending. I was honored to receive a digital ARC from NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co Publishers. This opinion is my own.

It was a good book. It had multiple story lines. Multiple POV. I really liked that part of it. Loved the small town feel of it. Wrote very well and hard to put down. I will be on the lookout for more from this author. It did have a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions and that was the only thing I didn't like about it.

Being from a small town, this book rings true in many ways. The way everyone intertwines and one persons actions can affect someone they don't even know is such a theme in this book. Ken Jaworowski writes this book from the point of view of three different people, Nathan, Callie and Andy. The chapters alternate yet intertwine. Jaworowski doesn't shy from real-life problems like infertility, drug abuse, suicide, sexual assault and murder. This book is unlike anything I've ever read. I'll admit I felt it started a little slow, but once it captured my attention I couldn't look away. Nathan, being a small town husband with no children, ends up mixed up with lies, deception and an affair. Callie is a nurse in the local hospital who takes a particular interest in one patient who's story will bring you to tears. Then there's Andy, junkie turned father who loses everything and wrestles with the aftermath. These story seemed that they would have "cookie cutter endings" at first, but there was a twist at every turn making my jaw drop until the last page.

Small Town Sins is an original novel about choices and consequences set in Locksburg, Pennsylvania. A volunteer firefighter, a nurse, and the father of a daughter with Down's Syndrome all make choices that domino into consequences that impact other family members and residents, including a high school crush, a priest, and a terminally ill teenager. Small Town Sins is a perfect book for discussion groups.

Wow! I can honestly say that I’ve never read a more complete book. Small Town Sins tells the stories of three people all living in the same, forgettable small town in central Pennsylvania. Each of their stories resonated with me for different reasons and by the end I found myself crying in bed at 3am.

This isn’t your typical “thriller” where you only wait for big reveals or surprises, although there are a few throughout, it was so much more than that. Their stories destroy, infuriate, encourage, and inspire the reader on their own.

The writing was truly flawless. I felt it was so solid that I was basically able to envision each story as its own movie as I read along with the characters.

As someone who actually went to college in small town Pennsylvania, not too different from the one written in this book, I felt that each tale was incredibly real and raw. A lot of us probably knew or could relate to an Andy, Callie, or Nathan once upon a time.

The ending for each character’s story was executed perfectly — true to character and heartbreaking (whether good or bad.)

Do yourself a favor and read Small Town Sins, i’m confident you won’t regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt Company, and Ken Jaworowski for this ARC, I just pre-ordered this from Amazon myself so I can have a hard copy when it’s released in August of 2023.

I really enjoyed this novel. Beautifully written, heart-wrenching. Deep emotions, both high and low. I rarely give 5 stars, but happy to this time!