Play Book Tag discussion

Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash - 3* - My Review

Sheriff Les is ready to retire, but first he has a few last cases to close. He has been dealing with the crystal meth crisis in the Appalachians of North Carolina. He is seeing Becky, a local ranger with a traumatic past, and has had his share of troubles in life. The primary storyline concerns a mystery of a poisoning of fish that takes place above the waterfall. It is related to a disagreement between a longtime resident and a resort owner. The first half of this book sets up the characters and the interpersonal dynamics of the townsfolk, and the second follows the course of solving the mystery.

It is structured in dual perspectives – one from the Sheriff’s point of view and the other from Becky’s. Becky’s portions involve beautiful descriptions of the natural wilderness. She seeks solace in nature to help heal her trauma. The reasons behind her traumas and Les’s troubles are told in flashbacks. There are quite a few contemporary issues thrown into this book, but there are so many (ecoterrorism, school shootings, environmentalism, addictions, PTSD) that it seems too scattered. I think the meth issues are well done and necessary, but the others are barely touched upon, and they are too significant to be afterthoughts in a lightweight plot. The primary storyline is a run-of-the-mill mystery that is not particularly deep or complex. I liked it but it probably will not stay with me.

Ron Rash has a great sense of place, but I agree this book wasn't that memorable. Serena was the terrific book that introduced me to this writer. It has a very strong and scary woman character, and in the book club I read it with all the women loved the book and all the men didn't like it - probably scared them too much!

I haven't read Serena but have heard it is one of his best. I've read two for the Subdue challenge, and both were 3 stars. I should probably try Serena next.