Wildcat
An Appalachian Romance
by Jeffrey Dunn
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Pub Date Jun 18 2024 | Archive Date May 30 2024
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Description
Journey into Appalachia's Heart: Love, Loss, and the Resilience of a Forgotten Land
Discover the captivating allure of the Appalachian region as Jeffrey Dunn skillfully weaves a tale of love, loss, and redemption in his exquisitely crafted literary fiction masterpiece, Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance. Immerse yourself in the depths of the rust belt's rugged landscapes, where the echoes of industrial disaster intertwine with the sublime beauty of nature, all while the characters navigate the delicate dance between past and future.
In this poignant narrative, our protagonist, a retired English teacher, returns to his roots, lured back to the once-shuttered Hotel Wildcat, now revitalized as a collective endeavor. As he ventures through this transformed community, a new world unfolds before his eyes. The former mine, once a symbol of tragedy, now thrives as a flourishing mushroom farm. The dairy emerges as a purveyor of wholesome organic milk products, while the mill stands as a vibrant hub for sustainable and artisanal creations.
Yet amidst this promising rebirth, Wildcat's ominous history remains inescapable-the haunting era of explosions and closures. Similarly, our protagonist's own dark past resurfaces, entwined with memories of his working-class girlfriend, an indomitable spirit adorned in the trappings of a resilient hippie chic. As he embarks on the ambitious endeavor of penning his memoir-an intimate chronicle you now hold in your hands-he captures both the triumphs and tragedies of those who grappled with the devastating changes that swept through their lives.
Within these pages, Dunn employs prose that dances on the reader's imagination, evoking a sense of timelessness and historical resonance. Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance breathes life into Appalachia while exploring themes of the redemptive potential of rediscovered friendship, the restorative power of nature, and the boundless capacity for transformation.
Advance Praise
"Dunn (author of Radio Free Olympia) strikes a graceful balance between the mystical and the everyday in this meditative reflection on acceptance and belonging. The story's unnamed narrator has recently retired to Wildcat, a small community in the Appalachian rust belt, 50 years after spending only a single year of high school there. That year was a disastrous one for Wildcat: a deadly explosion shut down the town's mine, and soon after both its mill and its dam were destroyed. The narrator's abrupt departure left behind a broken town and fractured relationships, but he returns with the hope of again becoming part of Wildcat's unique community, and of reconnecting with Carolyn, his first love.
Wildcat offers the narrator the simple retirement he wants: a plain single room in the Wildcat Hotel where he can read and write, and the opportunity to go on walks by the river to sort through his memories. But his new home allows him to do these quotidian activities "in the Wildcat way," which Dunn captures with a strong sense of milieu. His companions in the Wildcat Hotel are colorful locals with a host of trades and crafts, he writes with a wild turkey feather using ink and paper made from locally grown mushrooms, and on his walks he finds The Shadows, the enigmatic spirits of those who died in the Wildcat's tragedies.
As the narrator gets to know Wildcat again, he is forced to face the traumas he left behind so many years ago, re-examining the past and forging new connections as he settles into his future. Wildcat and its community serve as powerful examples of growth and renewal. Dunn's lyrical, imaginative language infuses the town's people and places with an otherworldly quality, but readers will easily connect with the narrator's warm narration style and the challenges he faces as he adapts to this new life in his new home."
-- Booklife, Publisher's Weekly
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781642280975 |
| PRICE | $19.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 170 |
