Gods of Howl Mountain: A Novel

Taylor Brown

Mar 2018 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

“A fresh, authentic, and eloquent new voice in American fiction.” - Robert Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of Gap Creek

In Gods of Howl Mountain, award-winning author Taylor Brown explores a world of folk healers, whiskey-runners, and dark family secrets in the high country of 1950s North Carolina.

Bootlegger Rory Docherty has returned home to the fabled mountain of his childhood - a misty wilderness that holds its secrets close and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories of the Korean War, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a powerful mountain clan in a retro-fitted '40 Ford coupe. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his formidable grandmother, evades federal agents, and stokes the wrath of a rival runner.

In the mill town at the foot of the mountains - a hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing - Rory is bewitched by the mysterious daughter of a snake-handling preacher. His grandmother, Maybelline “Granny May” Docherty, opposes this match for her own reasons, believing that "some things are best left buried." A folk healer whose powers are rumored to rival those of a wood witch, she concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains while harboring an explosive secret about Rory’s mother - the truth behind her long confinement in a mental hospital, during which time she has not spoken one word. When Rory's life is threatened, Granny must decide whether to reveal what she knows...or protect her only grandson from the past.

With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it.

Ratings and reviews

Growing up in the South, it was impossible not to hear the stories of secrets, bootlegging, faith healers, and the like. One look at the cover and blurb for this one and I was anxious to dive in, and dive in, I did - only to dive right back out several times. The idea for this one was certainly intriguing, and Brown does know how to paint a scene with vivid descriptions - of everything. While I do appreciate setting a scene and giving the reader a detailed picture in their mind, the gripping story I was hoping for got a bit lost in the details. The characters were rather one-dimensional and stereotypical, and while there were secrets to be discovered, without that connection to any of the characters, I was never able to immerse myself in the story. In the end, I had spent more time setting this one aside for later than reading it. Quite possibly, this just wasn't the book for me. I once heard someone say that no two people ever read the same book, and that is about as accurate as it gets, so if the description for this one appeals to you, by all means, give it a gander.

Taylor Brown’s Gods of Howl Mountain was a one of a kind literary trip through the secret life of moonshiners living in the mountains of North Carolina in the 1950’s. Rory Docherty, returned from the war and one leg short, is settling in back at home, living with his grandmother, Granny May, who raised him after his mother was witness to a horrific crime that left her mute and living in a home for the mentally ill. As Rory gets readjusted to his bootlegging life, he encounters challenges unique to the lifestyle. He has to dodge the feds, battles other local whiskey-runners and falls for, against his Granny’s warnings, a God-fearing girl. While juggling all things life in the moonshiner’s mountains, Rory continues to investigate the mystery of who put his mother in a mental hospital. Since she won’t speak, no one knows for sure who caused her unspoken terror, and he is determined to find revenge, one way or another. Unfortunately, the dangers of the mountains and its secrets will do all it can to stand in the way of the truth. While this was not a fast-paced read, there was plenty going on to hold my interest, from stock car races to federal car chases. From brothels and moonshine deliveries to Pentecostal potlucks and potions, there is something to keep you reading at every turn. The writing was intense, descriptive and revealing, at times so visual it was difficult to push through. I felt like I could see, feel and smell the mountains of North Carolina. The content was something I have not read before, and it was believable and uniquely fascinating. I found myself completely pulled into the story and the atmosphere. I could picture Granny May, running out to the porch of their country cabin, barefoot, hair wild and swinging a rifle around. This is not a book I would normally think to pick up since it’s not a topic I have read about before, but I would recommend this read, even if it’s a subject outside your typical wheelhouse. What a rare opportunity to experience the true backwoods of North Carolina from a perspective that most would never be exposed to. A fascinating four star for this unique story. **Review by Amy, Late Night Reviewer for Up All Night with Books**

About the author

TAYLOR BROWN grew up on the Georgia coast. He has lived in Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and the mountains of western North Carolina. His fiction has appeared in more than twenty publications, he is the recipient of the Montana Prize in Fiction, and was a finalist in both the Machigonne Fiction Contest and the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. He is the author of Fallen Land (2016) and The River of Kings (2017); Gods of Howl Mountain is his third novel. He lives in Wilmington, North Carolina.