HOLLOW OUT THE DARK
by James Wade
Literary Fiction / Southern Gothic / Rural Fiction
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Pages: 328
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
SYNOPSIS
Award-winning author James Wade blends atmospheric prose with soul-stirring themes in Hollow Out the Dark, a gothic adventure set against a Depression-era landscape where a whiskey war threatens to decimate a small Texas town.
A veteran of the Great War, Jesse Cole is grateful for the quiet life he now leads. But when his closest friend runs afoul of local criminals Frog and Squirrel Fenley, Jesse is forced to spin his moral compass and enter a violent and volatile underworld. There he encounters corrupt lawmen, hired assassins, and a dark family secret that will upend all he once knew.
Complicating matters are Texas Ranger Amon Atkins—who arrives to investigate the Fenleys just as their empire is threatened by a deadly new competitor—and the green-eyed, raven-haired Adaline, a love Jesse thought he’d lost forever.
With resources scarce and winter falling hard on the town, a desperate Jesse must choose between the law and the lawless and find a way to survive while still protecting the people he loves.
A heart-pounding tale full of plot-twisting revelations, Hollow Out the Dark brings readers into a whiskey-fueled world where everyone has a secret, and love everlasting balances on the edge of a knife.
CLICK TO ORDER
Bookshop.org | Blackstone Publishing
BOOK TRAILER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Wade is the award-winning author of Beasts of the Earth, All Things Left Wild, and River, Sing Out. He is the youngest novelist to win two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, and the recipient of the MPIBA’s prestigious Reading the West Award. James’s work has appeared in Southern Literary Magazine, the Bitter Oleander, Writers’ Digest, and numerous additional publications. James lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and children.
WEBSITE ◆ NEWSLETTER ◆ INSTAGRAM
REVIEW
James Wade’s stories are not the kind I’m normally drawn to. But his writing is so lyrical – sometimes earthy and harsh, sometimes almost ethereal – and his characters are so well-written that I keep coming back for more.
East Texas, 1932. Prohibition. The Depression. Times are tough for everyone.
Jesse Cole, a decorated war hero, came home after the war to care for his dead brother’s family. He’s got his share of problems making ends meet. But things get tougher when his friend ends up owing a fat gambling debt to moonshine runners and all-around not-nice guys Squirrel and Frog Fenley. Jesse is given a choice: work for the Fenleys or his friend will have, shall we say, some difficulties. But working for the Fenleys is more than Jesse bargained for when it becomes clear they’ve got some new, very hostile competition in the illicit moonshine business. And when Adaline, the one he let go, takes up with Frog Fenley, that takes Jesse’s thoughts in directions it would be imprudent to go.
Texas Ranger Amon Atkins is tasked with investigating the murder of Charlie Cooper. Word is the Fenleys did it, and his assignment is to arrest them and charge them. Atkins pursues the case out of duty, even when he’s unsure whether local law enforcement will be a help or hindrance. But he perseveres. What will his perseverance earn him?
This story is almost biblical in its portrayal of the struggle between good and evil. There’s the external struggle, the criminals against the law. There’s the internal struggle, the question of how far a good man will go to protect his own. And if a good man does bad things, is he still good? I noticed even some of the names in the story are biblical. Nebat. Mamre. Names that get you thinking this conflict is bigger than just one or two men.
The language is once again mesmerizing. As Jesse struggles with his past and his present in the nighttime, “He walked slow in these clockless hours. Dead things called to him from dreams and bells rang where there were no towers. He would not sleep.” And descriptions like this almost had me reaching for a warm coat: “Every leaf is torn from every branch, but still the wind rages on as if it will have the branches, too. It is called a howling wind but it does not howl. It cries. It is a devastated wind and it is screaming transgressions in long, haunting tones.” And I found this bit oddly prescient: “Besides, they ain’t about to make no cars that run on electricity, is they? Oil’ll be around a lot longer than you and me.”
This was not an easy story to read. As always, Wade takes us down some dark paths. He paints a picture of greed, brutality, and suffering. His characters go through some dark nights of the soul, indeed. There are secrets long hidden that come to light and bring not relief, but pain. But there is, at the end, a shining thread of hope that leads those who will take the chance to follow it. Not an easy story, but a mighty fine one.
If you’re willing to traverse the depths with the characters, to hold on through the hard times, I think you’ll find Hollow Out the Dark a rewarding read. I certainly did.
CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH BLOG PARTICIPATING IN THIS TOUR.
You so perfectly summarized all the things this author does so well — and how the reader is pushed and pulled and dazzled with the writing. I finished the book yesterday and it’s still washing over me. GREAT review of a GREAT book.
What a terrific review. You really captured the beauty, depth, and wonder of reading a story by James Wade. You’re right that they are not easy reads, but mighty fine one.