James Cole has always been of two-worlds: the ho-hum middle class life of his aunt and uncle, and the hardscrabble existence of the lake, where his mother and half-brother reside. The latter prides itself on community, if not lawfulness, and the members of the lake always look out for each other. But when James’ brother Fleece disappears, no one seems to be able to help. Soon James must take his place as a runner for the local drug kingpin in order to get some answers. “With a plot as full of twists and turns as an ancient Greek tragedy, Kirby Gann’s Ghosting is one of the most beautifully worded and superbly crafted novels about the fateful consequences of being caught up in the criminal life that I have ever read. And I’m speaking truth,” says Donald Ray Pollock, author Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time. A terrific addition to this growing sub-genre. - Ian “A high-low cocktail of lovely prose and cruel deeds…. Gann populates his novel with darkly beautiful images. . . . [Ghosting’s] mysteries are its rewards.” —The New York Times Book Review"Tthe characters are fully realized—rooted in the land and veined with bad blood—and their motivations are complex and believable. Violent, bloody, and darkly beautiful, this is a fascinating novel depicting the seedy bottom of an America in decline.”—Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)“Unfolding with unflinching clarity and moral inevitability, this is a tale of love and loyalty, family and duty, naïveté and duplicity, played out on an amoral landscape of drugs and violence. Hillbilly noir as literary fiction of the first order.”—Kirkus Reviews“The prose pulses with terror and bad blood, the characters with yearning and humor, and this story latches onto you and doesn’t let go for hours.”—Flavorpill, “Must Read” for April 2012
What do You think about Ghosting (2012)?
Excellent. Modern day Hamlet in the Rough Midwest of Kentucky. Highly recommended.
—JAG
Ghosting was bleak but lyrical, in some places hard to read, but powerful.
—trickat
Beautifully written. Dark and brutal. Loved it.
—Archlordkristya
