A novel of an Appalachian town, the diverse locals who make it home, an influx of white nationalists trying to take over, and the ways in which the battle brings out our light.
A fascinating new novel ... Avalon, Rise doesn’t care if its characters do the precisely correct thing. As a result, it achieves the rare feat of having a distinct sense of right and wrong, without ever becoming preachy or heavy-handed. It becomes an exploration of how confusing and hard it is to be good ... ffitch is uncommonly good at writing, tenderly but without sentimentality, about people who both adore their children and make colossal errors in raising them ... ffitch tells a layered, sophisticated story that expresses a clear, ethical point of view without hammering readers on the head. Not many novels do this successfully ... A remarkable book.
Unfolds the fates of family and friendship when ordinary people are dragooned into political action. Ms. ffitch does not conceal her personal sympathies—it’s safe to assume she is not on the side of the white supremacists—but she isn’t preachy. Her complicated story reflects the cacophony of a town where everyone has their own idea of what is right.
