What a ride this story is! It kinda has a slow, dream-like quality to it but really there is so much going on. 

I may be a little biased, but as a musician I really loved the musical elements to this story. The way Hollis uses his guitar to express all the pent-up emotions he has no other way of expressing is beautiful.  I really felt for Hollis and his struggles.  We slowly get glimpses into his past and it’s broke my heart a little bit with each revelation.  But I really enjoyed his budding relationship with Rosita and I think she really helps to bring him out of his shell and change his way of thinking.  

While the music is the main element of this story, there is also a contamination of the local river which is wreaking havoc on the town.  The owner of the tank that spills son is a huge fan of Hollis and somehow Hollis gets wrapped up in this whirlwind of criminal activity and activism that pull him from his comfort zone.  It’s truly a wild ride.  Russel (the son of the corrupt chemical owner) and Victor (a local activist) are a dynamic duo.  Honestly there is so much going on with those two that it was almost difficult to keep up. 

Yet somehow it all works together pretty well and was an enjoyable read.

The blurb had me at captivating and gritty, both things I’d been looking for in my next read.

This story truly shines as Hollis Bragg battles demons and takes stock of his life. I flew through the pages and really wanted to see how things would end.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the free copy. All opinions are my own.

A story about a musician who is working as a shadow writer. He has a disability which makes people flinch and is heartbreaking to read about. He has decided to live in the outskirts of West Virginia, where he disappear to the background. When a musician becomes interested in the main character’s past, a chemical plant causes an environmental emergency in the small community. This was quite eery and uncomfortable to read to about, but I think I would have liked to read more about this disaster and how it came about. Throughput the book he reminisces about his past and loves lost. The descriptions were beautiful and the language was captivating, however the overall story did not come through as well for me. 

I definitely wanted to know more about the actual spillage and why it would cause such symptoms. I felt in a way that was brushed past. Also, I found it difficult to connect to the characters , their decisions and the ending was not as satisfying as I would have hoped. 3.5/5

THE POISON FLOOD
Jordan Farmer 
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN-13: 978-0593085073
Hardcover
Literary Fiction

There is a moment in Jordan Farmer’s darkly brilliant and beautiful sophomore offering, THE POISON FLOOD, which is almost prescient. It comes in the first half of Farmer’s exquisitely dark and beautifully written sophomore effort and consists of a vignette that illustrates how some people react in the face of a disaster. Give how the publishing industry functions, it is safe to assume that Farmer finished THE POISON FLOOD several weeks before what is currently being called the coronavirus pandemic which has resulted in some occurrences similar to that which Farmer describes. Even without this illustration of how life and art intersect, however, THE POISON FLOOD would be memorable thanks to Farmer’s keen eye and sharp wordcraft.  

Farmer in THE POISON FLOOD (as well as in THE PALLBEARER, his debut novel) writes of the poor, the downtrodden, and the physically and emotionally mishappen in his home state of West Virginia. Farmer’s primary focus in THE POISON FLOOD is upon Hollis Bragg, the orphaned son of a West Virginia preacher. Bragg, physically impaired as the result of a spinal deformity,  is a study in contrasts. He lives almost off of the grid, in the shadow of his father’s burnt-out church and next to a farm which raises chickens for cockfights. Farmer is not giving us a retread from Tobacco Road, however. What is unknown to almost everyone is that Bragg is a gifted composer who has ghostwritten several major hits for The Troubadours, which evolved from a band which Bragg helped to start with his girlfriend Angela several years before. Bragg left the band on the cusp of its initial success for reasons that are gradually revealed in fits and starts throughout the narrative, watching Angela and her stardom from afar while quietly cashing the checks he is paid for his songs. His relatively peaceful existence begins to crack when he is discovered by a local musician named Russell Watson, whose father heads up a local chemical company which has attracted the ire of some radical environmentalists who have launched a series of protests. Watson, who still possesses some adolescent rebellion, has thrown in the protestors, particularly an a charismatic and dangerous character named Victor who is constantly prodding Russell to prove himself for the “cause.” Things take a very dangerous turn, resulting in an environmental catastrophe that affects the entire area and culminates in Hollis witnessing a murder which puts him in danger from a couple of sources. The disaster draws Angela back to the rural area which she left over a decade before and thus back into Hollis’s orbit. Her return coincides with Hollis’s awareness of a startling betrayal that cuts him from two different directions just as he has decided to take control of the considerable fruits of his artistic works. Russell, as he attempts to navigate through the quagmire of his surroundings, is often his own worst enemy, though his occasional impulse to engage in self-destructive behavior is certainly understandable, given the painful and limiting hand that he has been permanently dealt. It is only when he rises above his background that he has a chance to recognize the possibility to fulfill his own best destiny and to recognize the door that is opening for him. Whether he walks through it is not answered until the story’s somewhat surprising conclusion. 

The story that comprises THE POISON FLOOD makes for uncomfortable and occasional painful reading at times. Farmer’s considerable talent, however, makes the passage through several cringe-worthy passages more than rewarding. Farmer’s similes, metaphors, and turns-of-phrase are worth underlining and later rereading over and over. They are equaled, if not exceeded, by his sharply drawn characters who you will remember long after you finish this work, and probably many others. Strongly recommended. 

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2020, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thank you so much to Putnam and Netgalley for sending me this free ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review. Hollis Bragg a hunchbacked song writer lives in the mountains of West Virginia. Ashamed of his appearance Hollis has been a recluse most of his life. The only thing he's sure of is music. He meets Angela Carver as a kid and the rest is history. They leave WV in order to pursue music. After forming a more intimate relationship things seem to be falling into place. But as hollis has always done he pushed Angela away. A toxic chemical spill into the water supply, a supposed "fan", violent protests and a string of murders force Hollis out of his shell. The story of unfulfilled dreams, pain of being different, pain of being rejected was very relatable in this day in age. The one thing that drove me nuts was Angelas hold on Hollis for almost the entire book. She obviously wasn't deserving of him from the very beginning. The raw emotion from him throughout the entire book was quite enjoyable. If you want an interesting quick read this one is for you. 4 stars.

I was lucky enough to win a ARC of THE POISON FLOOD through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks for the early look at this title!