<b>Ron Rash's newest Appalachian-set novel explores a small town shaken by upended expectations, the Korean War, and selfish rigidity that threatens to undo them all.</b>

In Ron Rash's newest novel, <i>The Caretaker,</i> Blackburn Gant is the sole caretaker of a hilltop cemetery in 1951 Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Blackburn lives a quiet life, which is partially dictated by his physical limitations since suffering through polio as a child.

When his best (and only) friend Jacob is sent to serve overseas in the Korean War, Blackburn promises to look after Jacob's wife, Naomi. The two had eloped just months after meeting, which led to Jacob's being disowned by his wealthy family.

Blackburn and Naomi grow close as they anxiously await word of Jacob's fate halfway around the world. When an important telegram arrives, they fear the worst.

A series of elaborate falsifications, outrageous subterfuge, and outright lies creates a tangled web for all involved--and the situation just begs for justice to be served to those blinded by selfish desire and rigid expectations.

I loved the glimpses of rural life and of the specific place and time that Rash crafts so well.

The writing is beautifully spare, and the ending is satisfying in multiple ways.

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Doubleday Books.

I included the wonderful Ron Rash short story collection <i>Nothing Gold Can Stay</i> in my Greedy Reading List <b><a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/six-short-story-collections-to-wow-you"><b>Six Short Story Collections to Wow You,</a></b> and I loved his novel <b><a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/review-of-one-foot-in-eden-by-ron-rash/"><i>One Foot in Eden.</a></i></b>

North Carolina's Rash (he teaches at Western Carolina University) is also the author of other books set in Appalachia: <i>Serena, The World Made Straight, Burning Bright, Above the Waterfall, The Risen,</i> and <i>The Cove.</i>

<b>To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see <a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/review-of-the-caretaker-by-ron-rash/"><i>The Caretaker.</a></i></b>

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Ron Rash writes beautiful novels, and this, his latest, is one of his best. Highly literary story set against the time that has been come to be known as mid-Century, in a small Appalachian town, where everyone knows everybody and has a say on everybody's business. As events unspool, we have a true hero, Blackburn Gant, disfigured by childhood polio but best friend of Jacob, son of the town's wealthiest family who has a mind and heart of his own leading him to a true love that his parents find inappropriate. What happens to these three makes for immersive reading, and Rash fills his pages with period detail that bring the era to life. Here we have good, old fashioned storytelling with no flourishes, no tricks, no meta puzzles. Highly recommended.

I have read Ron Rah from the 1st novel. his books squeeze your heart. this one was no different, a good read about people you feel are real

STUNNING! A literary work of art.

Ron Rash, the Southern master storyteller, returns with his 20th highly anticipated stellar novel (his best yet)—THE CARETAKER. It is well worth the wait! With beautiful prose, a moving, emotional tale of three outcasts, set against the backdrop of 1951 North Carolina Appalachian mountains, the Korean War, a hilltop cemetery, and a highly relatable hero, the caretaker.

THE CARETAKER features three exceptional characters and their fight against those who want to destroy them with selfish motives—a superb blending of Southern, historical fiction, suspense, coming of age, family drama, small rural town, and literary fiction.

Top Books of 2023! Checks all the boxes of what I look for in a novel.

Three main characters:
Gant Blackburn
Jacob Hampton
Naomi Clarke Hampton

Set in the Blowing Rock, North Carolina area in 1951, we meet Blackburn Gant, (16) the caretaker at the local hilltop cemetery. He was stuck with polio at a young age and still has a limp and a partially disfigured face. The target of bullies in school and the town, his parents decided it would be best if he took the job offered by Pastor Hunnicutt as THE CARETAKER of the cemetery and lived onsite in the cottage provided. They then moved to Florida.

Gant has a big job. He is solid and rugged. He has to dig the graves (often with blisters) facilitate the services, markers, gravestones, and flowers, ensure the grounds are cared for, and the ghosts are happy. He is comfortable being a loner and sees and hears everything that goes on in the cemetery and those who mourn. He is observant, respects the dead, and takes it upon himself to ensure nothing is disturbed. He has to put up with teens and vandalism, especially during Halloween and is on-call 24/7.

Even on the first nights, Blackburn had not been afraid. "The dead could do nothing worse to him than the living had already done." People were ugly, claiming one look at his face would scare off any ghosts. That was five years ago.

"Caretaking was a duty to the living and the dead."

His best friend Jacob Hampton took Gant Blackburn under his wing as a child and remained his friend. Jacob was from a wealthy family, owning the Hampton Store. They decided if they handed out credit or not. They had a lot of pull in the town.

His parents, Daniel and Cora Hampton, had lost two other children, and they were very controlling and manipulative with Jacob (especially the mother). They wanted him to graduate college, marry a girl of their choosing, and return and take over the store. Keep him under their thumb no matter what he desires.

However, Jacob had other plans. He did not care for college, enjoyed manual labor, and worked his way up at his summer jobs. He met a girl who stole his heart from the first meeting. They eloped when Naomi was 16. Unfortunately, she was not the type of girl his parents wanted. They demanded he get the marriage annulled or else.

Naomi Clark came from Tennessee and was a local maid at The Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock. She was uneducated and had to leave school to help take care of her dad's farm. She was beautiful and worked hard to learn things to further her education.

When Jacob's parents learned of the girl and Jacob's relationship, they refused to accept it and told him if he married her, they would disinherit him. He went against them and married Naomi.

He and Naomi worked hard and lived in a farmhouse, building a happy life without the parent's money or support. Due to the parents, the entire town spread word that Naomi was an unacceptable partner for Jacob.

Then Jacob receives the draft notice for the Korean War. This was about the time Naomi was pregnant. He tried one last time to reason with his parents since they would be grandparents to help care for Naomi while he was away. They turned their back on him and Naomi.

Jacob then turned to his best friend, Gant, to help care for Naomi while he was away. Of course, Gant agrees. (I loved him!) Jacob goes off to war, and Gant does his best to help Naomi; however, the town does not support these two outcasts, with ongoing gossip and bullying making things difficult.

After a horrific encounter with Jacob's dad, Gant and Naomi decide it is in her best interest and the baby's safety to move back to Tennessee to live with her dad and her sister's help until the baby is born. She and Jacob continue to write letters, and he cannot wait to get home to them. Gant goes back and forth to check on them.

Then Jacob is hurt and on a medical discharge and is sent home. (the book opens with this war front tragedy). This is when The Hamptons devise an evil, sinister plan to keep their son away from Naomi and the baby. They go to the extremes, blackmailing/buying their way with Naomi's father and threaten Gant later when he figures out the plan.

Will their plan work? The Hamptons could destroy him and his job. Is Blackburn supposed to live a lie?

Little does Jacob know there is also a battlefield (war) raging at the homefront that will change his life.

What comes next will keep you in suspense and on the edge of your seat. Blackburn is the one caught in the middle and holds all the cards. What he says or does not say can change the outcome and the future of all concerned. Will he keep silent or speak up?

You must read to find out—I adored the ending!

I LOVED THE CARETAKER— Stunning and impressive! My top book of 2023! Rash is a skilled writer, and he shines with his beautiful writing. His exceptional, well-developed characters jump off the page with an original, twisty plot. The relatable characters will remain with you long after the book ends. I read it in one sitting and could not put it down.

Of course, my favorite character was Gant Blackburn. He had a heart of gold and was tormented by many and the story's hero. The setting was vivid, and the cemetery was like another character. Jacob's parents were pure evil.

I enjoyed the author's inspiration for THE CARETAKER and his honest struggles with the novel's writing. Thank you for sharing this story with the world! It is everything you expect from the author. He dives deep into the human psyche as each character has choices to make, both good and evil.

A bittersweet story of love and loss, I highly recommend THE CARETAKER and Ron Rash's other books. Let's hope this is not his last book. I would love to see a sequel to catch up with these characters that are too good to end.

STELLAR!

For fans of Authors William Kent Krueger, Allen Eskens, Diane Chamberlain, Amor Towles, Wiley Cash, and David Joy.

Thanks to #Doubleday for a gifted e-ARC via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased the hardcover copy (beautiful) and purchased the audio narrated by James Patrick Cronin, delivering a moving and engaging outstanding performance. #CoverLove

Check out the links on my website for more about the story, features, interviews with the author, and inspiration behind the book. Plus ways, this book resonated personally with me.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Sept 26, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars +++
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This is a short book that packs a huge punch of emotions. Blowing Rock, NC is the hometown of Jacob Hampton and Blackburn Gant. As young boys they form an unlikely friendship. Jacob comes from a rich town family while Blackburn’s family is poor. Jacob is the “the golden boy” while Blackburn suffers from the effects of contracting polio and the derision of classmates. When Jacob is drafted into the Korean conflict, he leaves behind Naomi, his young pregnant wife. Jacob has been disinherited by his parents who vehemently disapprove of Naomi. They had other plans for their son. With Jacob gone, Blackburn is making sure Naomi has what she needs. He is the caretaker of Naomi as well as the caretaker of the cemetery and a handyman for the church.

When an unforeseen event occurs, Jacob’s parents engineer an opportunity to right the world to their liking. This event morphs into terrible consequences for the main characters as well as casting an impending sense of doom over the town. Ron Rash has constructed a novel that could be considered a Shakespearean gothic but without any cliches or set pieces. The small-town description of Blowing Rock is at once beautiful and tragic. Waiting for a resolution that may allow good or evil to triumph is both hopeful and terrifying. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title. Highly recommended.

Although I have been aware of Ron Rash’s books for several years, The Caretaker is the first I’ve read. After having reached the point of not wanting to face another World War II novel written by a woman, I found myself immediately drawn into Rash’s vivid account of Jacob Hampton’s night by the frozen river separating American soldiers from North Koreans. Cold and on lone guard duty, Jacob finds his mind wandering. He recalls the rumors he was told about North Koreans during his training at Fort Polk. He determines to survive and to return to his wife Naomi and the baby expected in May. In his fear, his thoughts turn to the Korean belief that American soldiers’ ghosts haunt the land. Yet, all too well, he remembers that life at home had its own horror—the parents who disinherited him when he eloped with Naomi. Then, suddenly, out of the darkness, a North Korean soldier attacks, they struggle, and Jacob loses consciousness.

Chapter 2 introduces Blackburn Gant, Jacob’s best friend back home in North Carolina, the caretaker of the local cemetery, and the only person willing to look out for Jacob’s pregnant wife Naomi when his parents refuse to have anything to do with her.

Yet Jacob’s parents, Daniel and Cora Hampton quickly steal readers’ attention as they devise a bizarre and perilous plot to end Jacob and Naomi’s marriage. Despite realizing the many ways their scheme could go awry, they know it’s worth the risk to see Jacob married to a girl from a good family rather than to gold-digging Naomi.

Daniel and Cora’s plot had me turning pages well into the night, finally closing the book after convincing myself that the suspense would be as engaging the next evening. Who would discover what they had done? Jacob? Naomi? Blackburn? How? When and with what result?

For suspense, I would give The Caretaker a top rating. I also enjoyed seeing how Rash slowly revealed his characters, especially Naomi and Blackburn.

On the other hand, the ending’s abruptness and brevity disappointed me. Rash had set up other possibilities, including a surprise twist that had me thinking, “No, no, No!” Although many readers may like the chosen ending, I can’t help wondering if the twist would have made The Caretaker a more memorable book. As is, it’s still a good one and well worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an advance reader copy of this highly recommended new novel from Ron Rash.

A subtly emotional novel about friendship and love. Set during the Korean War, it's the story of Blackburn Gant, Jacob, and Natalie-three people who are outsiders in their small town. Blackburn had polio as a kid and while his legs recovered, his face remains distorted, which makes him a target for bullies. He was left behind in North Carolina when his family moved to Florida and he's forged a small life working in the cemetery and caretaking the town church. Jacob, a son of privilege, has been his friend since childhood but now he's married to Natalie, a poor girl who moved to town for a job- and she's pregnant. Jacob goes to war, Natalie and Blackburn endure and then there's an incident in town which propels Natalie back to her father. And then.....Jacob's parents are....awful, just awful and selfish and so many other things. Blackburn and Jacob both struggle with loss and grief. Until....It's beautifully written and the characters, well, they are terrific. You likely won't be disappointed or surprised by the ending but no spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

"The dead could do nothing worse to him than the living had already done."

"He couldn’t shake the inkling that something was about to happen, even as the morning passed undisturbed."

Oh, what a tangled web we weave…

Blackburn Gant has had a tough go of it for such a young man. An unfortunate event when he was six left him with a distorted face and a limp. His parents did for him what they could, Mom, to the extent possible, keeping him away from those who would prey on his otherness, his father tough-loving him into strength and self-sufficiency. He was hired at the tender age of sixteen to be the caretaker of the local cemetery, as his parents were moving to Florida. That was five years ago. He is thoughtful, respectful, and kind.

Blowing Rock (which might bear a slight resemblance to Boiling Spring, where Rash was raised) has some upsides but it is mostly a place that young people leave if they have a choice. For Naomi, seventeen, pregnant, married to a soldier serving in Korea, and the object of hatred by her in-laws, it constitutes a hostile environment.

When we meet Jacob Hampton, he is having a tough time of his own. Enduring unbelievable cold in Korea, he is drawn into hand-to-hand combat with a North Korean soldier in the opening chapter. He is seriously wounded, at minimum.

Jacob is Blackburn’s best friend. He had charged Blackburn with the responsibility of taking care of Naomi in his absence, knowing that his parents wanted no part of her.

"he spring his family moved here from Foscoe, Blackburn’s father sent him to catch trout for supper. He’d been fishing on the edge of the Hampton property when Jacob appeared. Blackburn thought he’d come to run him off. Instead, Jacob guided him to the pasture’s best pools tent, and soon Blackburn’s stringer was heavy with fish. He showed Blackburn a pretend fort made of fallen branches, said that together they could build it up even bigger. It was only when Blackburn was about to head home that Jacob acknowledged his face. Does it hurt? Blackburn said no. I’m glad it doesn’t, Jacob had said."

The closeness between Jacob and Blackburn is palpable, but as Blackburn does all he can for his best friend’s wife, their bond grows as well.

Blackburn and Naomi are both outcasts in the town, people who must maintain a low profile just to get by. Most in the town are willing to at least go along with Jacob’s parents in decrying the marriage. Jacob is in no position to oppose them. Naomi is seen as a too-young gold-digger, interested only in the wealth that Jacob is slated to inherit from his successful parents. They are cruel to her, and disinherit their son. Only Blackburn stands with Naomi, seeing that she is safe, and cared for. He has nemeses of his own, a pair of louts whose desire for mayhem and dominance goes beyond teasing and beating.

A terrible thing takes place as the pregnancy progresses, a criminal deception that throws multiple lives into a particularly hurtful turmoil. You will spend the rest of your time reading this book desperate to see how it all plays out, and terrified about what awfulness will descend on characters you have come to care for.

Considering that this is very short for a novel, less than 60,000 words, there is an awful lot going on in it, so much more than gut-clutching and relatable characters. Rash is a master. He offers up poignant imagery to reinforce the story. Blackburn makes note of the fact that different breeds of apple fruit at different times of year. This just might possibly relate to Blackburn being something of a late bloomer. There are signs of hope as well as just cause for despair.

"The storm had shaken branches of the white oak. Blackburn picked them up, including one on Shay Leary’s grave. The weathervane shifted. Clearer skies were coming"

But are they, really? I could not help but think of another expression of hopeful anticipation, Something’s Coming from West Side Story. And how did that story of young-love-thwarted play out? Just sayin’. The imagery is not solely applied for the literary weight-bearing, but, directed through the consciousness of his Appalachian characters, the images serve to speak against any uninformed take about the intelligence of the people living in this part of the world. It requires sophistication to think in images. Giving them these thoughts makes it impossible to think of them as hillbillies, or unintelligent, regardless of how many years of school they may have completed. Some are there not so much to broaden the characters, as to toss readers an omen for our consideration. As soon as you see a mention of Barbara Hightower, for example, your antennae will be on alert for some sort of nefarious trade, whether real or theoretical. Mentions of trout might be there to highlight some form of purity.

Place is always a central element in Rash’s fiction, Appalachia in particular. The Caretaker gives us a look at rural North Carolina in the 1950s. His portrait of small-town life includes a look at how residents interconnect, showing how this person might feel indebted to that one, and how this one might feel too intimidated to say no to another, showing shared histories, bonds, and conflicts. He also provides a look at the supportive side of the community.

"When Rash was in high school, his father was hospitalized for depression, an illness that tormented him for years. Sue Rash was left alone to look after three children in a small Southern town, one that often felt to her eldest son like its own dwarf planet. But when the family needed support from their neighbors, they got it. “The whole town helped us,” Ron says. “It was a struggle that was never spoken of, but they knew. And people came through for us.” – from the Garden & Gun interview"

Friendship is often in Rash’s spotlight. How far would you go for a friend? Where is the line you would not cross? Family dynamics are given a close look, in Jacob’s family and beyond, particularly how parents treat children and why. Character will be sorely tested. Not all will do themselves proud.

I had one gripe, a convenient bit of unconsciousness that seemed very deus-ex-machinery, but really, that is a quibble. This is a wonderful read.

The Caretaker is Ron Rash’s first novel in ten years. It was inspired by a true story he had heard over twenty five years before, about a soldier who had eloped with a woman his parents disapproved of, before he was sent overseas. Rash changed it from WW II to Korea and expanded on the dark event that happened in that tale. In the lecture linked in EXTRA STUFF, he says, It’s been the hardest novel I’ve ever done. He considers himself more of a short-story writer, which goes a ways to explaining the considerable gap since his last novel.

One of the masters of American literature, Ron Rash has struck again, with a story that will not only dazzle you with the strength of the character portrayals, but keep your abs clenched as you worry how the central crime (Rash is so good that you can really understand why the crime was committed, and appreciate the desperate motivation, without necessarily empathizing with the whole undertaking) will resolve for all involved. He will enrich your reading experience with dazzling literary skill, while giving you a look at a time, a place, and a culture. That West Side Story song may or may not portend something wonderful for the characters in this book, but it definitely works for any new work published by Ron Rash

"Somethin’s comin’, I don’t know what it is
But it is gonna be great"

Yes. Yes, it is.
Review posted – 09/22/23

Publication date – 09/26/23

I received an ARE of The Caretaker from Doubleday in return for a fair review. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Caretaker
Author: Ron Rash
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date: September 26, 2023

I love Southern fiction. I discovered Ron Rash in a small bookstore in Sylva, NC, when I requested a recommendation. Mr. Rash teaches at Western Carolina, in addition to authoring several award-winning novels like Serena. This coming Tuesday, Rash will have his new book released called The Caretaker. Set in small-town North Carolina, this story centers around the lead protagonist, Blackburn, a poor, disfigured polio victim who befriends a wealthy local townie, Jacob, oppressed by controlling parents. Blackburn is the caretaker for the town cemetery since he is more comfortable around the dead than the living. However, these two young men make a bond of friendship that lasts forever, even through the Korean War, marriage, town gossip, PTSD, and miserable parents for both. The result is a love story that says a lot with a modest amount of words. Southerners understand more than cornbread and sweet tea…they understand die-hard love for a woman, oppressive small-town conditions, unfair class system, and judgment. But most of all, they know unbreakable friendships. This will be another stellar story from Mr. Rash, and I am so lucky to have had an opportunity to read it before Tuesday. Please consider reading this spectacular novel. #love #loss #family #gravecaretaker #jealousy #envy #judgment #hate #prejudice #tiesThatBind #friendship #TheCaretaker @netgalley #ronrash #doubledaybooks #Fiction #southernfiction #northcarolina #book #bookstagram #bookreviewer #loyalty #authorronrash
🪦
I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Doubleday Books and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: September 26, 2023.

Published by Doubleday on September 26, 2023

The Caretaker is an unconventional story of love and loss. It combines a domestic drama with a war story, yet the loss is occasioned by lies rather than battlefield violence.

After their two daughters died, Daniel and Cora Hampton should have been kind to their son Jacob despite his instinct to rebel against their controlling nature. Instead, they disinherited him after he eloped with Naomi Clarke, a 16-year-old hotel maid. Naomi did not satisfy their small town standards of propriety.

After Naomi became pregnant, Jacob was drafted and sent to Korea. Jacob’s parents refused to look after Naomi so the task fell to Jacob’s friend Blackburn Gant, the caretaker at the local cemetery. Jacob and Naomi live in North Carolina but, after a confrontation with Daniel while Jacob is still in Korea, Naomi returns to her parents’ home in Tennessee to give birth.

Ron Rash takes the time to develop detailed backstories for the central characters. They all suffer from poor parenting. We learn how Blackburn’s parents disregarded his polio symptoms and made him work in the fields until he fell, clenching the soil with his fists for an hour, barely able to breathe until his father found him. He can walk with a bit of a limp but his facial muscles droop. Rash conveys Blackburn’s feeling of helplessness as he is stricken, followed his sense of shame at his appearance.

Naomi’s parents wanted her to marry a man who would help them with their farm. They made her drop out of school in third grade and were distressed when she left home to work in a motel. Naomi is sympathetic because, despite having little control over her life, she perseveres.

Daniel and Cora wanted Jacob to finish college and take over the family store. We see Jacob thriving at manual labor in the family sawmill because his father thought he would gladly return to college after spending the summer performing grueling work. Daniel didn’t understand that Jacob preferred work that tired his body, not his mind. He was made foreman before the end of the summer.

This is a story of parents who don’t listen to their children, who expect them to accept a dictated path rather than making their own lives, who treat children as property. It is ultimately a story of parental selfishness. When we think of evil people, we think of violence. Daniel and Cora Hampton do not behave violently but they are the personification of evil. Naomi’s parents are little better.

Jacob sees and causes death in the war. Rash describes Jacob’s most traumatic war moment in vivid detail. Jacob survives his wounds and holds on in anticipation of reuniting with Naomi and his child when he comes home. Losing that opportunity convinces him that he has lost everything. Naomi’s sister remarks that “the heart’s full knowing came only with loss.” Jacob wonders whether love is strongest after it can no longer be shared.

This review has danced around the plot. It’s impossible to explain why The Caretaker is so good without giving away the surprise that drives the story. To avoid saying too much, I can only reveal that Jacob, Naomi, and Blackburn are all devastated by a scheme that serves only the selfish interests of Daniel and Cora. Naomi’s father becomes an accomplice to the scheme when he learns of it.

The story seems to move toward an inevitable climax yet when the moment arrives, it takes a sharp turn, one that is foreshadowed yet (at least to me) unexpected. The novel’s final moments offer Blackburn a difficult choice, one that invites him to be just as selfish as the worst characters yet a choice that, in the logic of the novel, might serve everyone by setting multiple lives on a better course. What choice will Blackburn make? This is the kind of novel that invites readers to think about the choice that they would make. From strong characterization to an original plot to searing moments of drama, The Caretaker is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

RECOMMENDED

Ron Rash, I have missed you! A barrel full of gratitude to Lindsay at Doubleday for offering me a free ebook through NetGalley. It was sooo worth the wait.

An depiction of true friendship, true honor, true love, and what true a-holes some parents can be.
We get to know Jacob initially during his stint in Korea, with his new young wife and his best friend, the cemetery caretaker, toughing it out together back home through ridicule and disdain (for being different), until time for Jacob to finally come home.

What happens next I'll leave unsaid since it's best to discover some things when you read the book. Twists and turns that have made my weekend reading and ignoring household chores all very much worth the while, I will say!

Oh, I loved this novel. It reminded me of many quiet stories that I have loved in the past, where the plot is moved along by heartbreaking personal decisions that have huge ripple effects. Blackburn Gant was such a sweet character, I loved getting to know him.

This story set in the 1950’s centers around three characters. Two lifelong best friends Jacob and Blackburn, and Jacob’s wife, Naomi.

Jacob’s well to do parents cut off his inheritance when he chose to marry Naomi instead of the same class girl they chose for him. Jacob is sent to war and requests that his best friend watch over his wife while he is away. Blackburn, slightly disfigured from a childhood bout of polio, watches over the graveyard as his job. His bond with Jacob is very strong. He willing accepts Jacob’s request to protect Naomi while Jacob is away.

This story explores family relationships, expectations, love, grief, secrets and the bonds of friendship and loyalty.

This is what I would call a quiet read. It doesn’t shout at you, it whispers and it moves you through the story. The immersive writing brings you to a sleepy North Carolina town and to the battlefield.

Your heart will simmer with rage at all the judgment, preconceived notions and misplaced concern. It will also cause your heart to soar at parts. This short book packs a lot of emotion into its few pages.

There are many side characters you will loathe and decisions you will watch with trepidation and disappointment. But you will also read with hope that justice will finally find its way to the surface.

Does justice prevail? You’ll have to read this one to find out. And I recommend that you do sit down with this book- and get lost in its pages.

Thank you to @doubledaybooks and @netgalley for the ARC to read and review.

This is an enjoyable historical story of small-town family life and how far we will go to protect someone in the name of love. Full of betrayals and lies, The Caretaker pulled me in and kept me turning pages to the end. Thanks to the author Ron Rash, Doubleday Books, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I can't believe what a super great book this was and is! You have to get it to read again and again. Maybe I am old fashion but just love that no one knows much because of no phones and having to wait until you hear news the old way. It was truly a wonderful love story. I was so worried it would end wrong but thank goodness! The family son goes to war and the daughter in law goes home to live with her Dad. It is a roller coaster from then on. I often wonder if the author gets his stories from his family's past because they are all directly related to the era of the past. Know I really enjoy them so much and hopefully Mr Rash keeps writing, Thank you!!!

Set in a small North Carolina town in 1951, the love between Naomi, a sixteen-year old maid at the local hotel, and the town’s golden boy, Jacob Hampton, anchors The Caretaker by Ron Rash. When they elope, the entire town takes the side of his wealthy parents who publicly and vociferously disapprove of the marriage, and demand that it be annulled, or Jacob will face disinheritance. He refuses. They cut ties. His subsequent conscription into the Korean War, where many of the town's men have already died or returned home maimed, does nothing to soften their stance. Jacob leaves his now pregnant wife behind, securing a promise from his boyhood friend, Blackburn Gant, to keep watch over her. Gant is the caretaker of the town's cemetery, disfigured as a child by polio. Alone and frightened in a town where everyone looks down on her, Naomi is grateful for Gant's support, and a genuine friendship develops.

Death also anchors this book, more specifically, the emotional effect on those left behind as they navigate the shifting landscapes carved and re-carved by grief and mortal uncertainty. The book poses the question: how far will people go to protect and preserve the remnants of their lives scattered in death's wake?

I was captured by Naomi and Jacob’s simple but powerful opposites-attract love story, and the backstories of the supporting characters, along with the depiction of rural life in American in the 1950s. I finished the book in three intense sittings. The prose and character development are strong. The plotting and resulting narrative flow kept me turning the pages, eager to find out what would happen next. I was wholly transported into the story.

However, I found a key mid-book plot point — which I won’t share here as it would be a major spoiler — implausible. While I was willing to accept that Jacob’s parents might be compelled to act as they did due to a grief-distorted sense of family loyalty and pride, it was harder to accept that as smart as these two were painted to be, they couldn’t see the inevitable outcome of their actions. Why would they take the risk? Perhaps the author was suggesting that grief can so blind a person’s thinking that they come to believe they can alter reality, or that they have no choice but to try.

That being said, this plot point implausibility did not prevent me from enjoying the book. Indeed, it's possible it made it all the more intriguing. I had to find out if Jacob's parents would get away with their daring plan.

I highly recommend The Caretaker.

Jacob does not follow his parents’ wishes for him. He drops out of college and elopes with Naomi, a hotel maid. His parents disinherited him. His best friend, Blackburn is the local cemetery caretaker and seems to be the only one Jacob can count on. When Jacob is drafted and sent to Korea, the Hamptons treat Naomi so shamefully she return home to have their baby. Through a series of lies, Jacob and Naomi were each told the other was dead. Will the truth ever come out? Can Jacob recover from the trauma he suffered while serving. Read The Caretaker, by Ron Rash, to find out if Jacob and Naomi can find one another again.
This book will tug at your heartstrings and make you believe in true friendship and love.

This is an absolute jewel of a book that you won't be able to put down until you reach the end. It's cleverly done and beautifully written. The reader really gets a feel for the small town and the situation that the main characters find themselves in. An exquisite read that anyone could appreciate. I felt sad to finish it because I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's wonderful!

The Caretaker is set in Blowing Rock, NC in the 1950's. Jacob is married to Naomi and they are expecting a child when he is conscripted to fight in Korea. His parents had disinherited him when he eloped with Naomi, as she was not who they wanted him to marry, so Jacob asks his good friend Blackburn to watch out for her and their child while he's gone. Blackburn is the caretaker of the cemetery and does his best to be there for Naomi and grows quite close to her. When something happens to Jacob in Korea, his parents use this as an opportunity to do what they think is best for Jacob, but really is what is best for them. This leads to a huge web of lies that causes pain and heartache for everyone involved. Overall, a beautifully written and thought provoking novel with a flawed cast of characters told in Rash's usual compelling style.

Ron Rash, one of North Carolina’s amazing writers, has again crafted a story that digs into your soul and tugs at your heartstrings. His characters, descriptions, mountain settings and local dialogue all build a touching tale of love, kindness and perseverance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read this beautiful ARC.