#BookReview - If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss

Title:  If the Creek Don't Rise
Author:  Leah Weiss
Genre:  Literary Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date:  August 22, 2017

Description:

A strikingly sincere portrait of a town and its buried secrets from an outstanding new voice in southern fiction.

In a North Carolina mountain town filled with moonshine and rotten husbands, Sadie Blue is only the latest girl to face a dead-end future at the mercy of a dangerous drunk. She’s been married to Roy Tupkin for fifteen days, and she knows now that she should have listened to the folks who said he was trouble. But when a stranger sweeps in and knocks the world off-kilter for everyone in town, Sadie begins to think there might be more to life than being Roy’s wife.

As stark and magnificent as Appalachia itself, If the Creek Don’t Rise is a bold and beautifully layered debut about a dusty, desperate town finding the inner strength it needs to outrun its demons. The folks of Baines Creek will take you deep into the mountains with heart, honesty, and homegrown grit.

Buy Links: Amazon

My Review:

This is one of those books that will stay in your memory for a long time.  It was written in first-person, but each chapter was a different "first person".  I wasn't sure where the plot was going and midway through I was beginning to think it was getting a bit tedious.  But when things came together.... WOW!  No spoilers... but when I read the last sentence of this book I almost fell out of my chair!

The story starts out with Sadie Blue and the hardships endured in the Appalachian mountain rural community of Baines Creek in the early 1970's.  Sadie hears the voice of her daddy's spirit as he offers encouraging words for her to get out of the clutches of her abusive husband.  As she recalls how she got into this situation, I just wanted to pull her into my heart.  When you hear the thoughts of Gladys Hicks, Sadie's grandmother, in the next chapter, you get even more insight into the lives of the people in this community.  This goes on for awhile with various situations being presented from the perspective of different people within the community.  It is deeply southern and as a reader, I was soon pulled into the desperation of a poor, illiterate society and I also felt the compassion many of these people felt for one another.  When a new school teacher comes to town, Sadie begins to realize her own self worth.

I was a bit surprised when I learned that this is a debut novel by this author.  Leah Weiss writes like a seasoned author with fabulous world-building and the ability to make her characters come to life.  It is heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time.

I loved this book and would heartily recommend it as a Book Club pick because there is so much that could be discussed with this one!

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark Publishing Company for the sole purpose of an honest review.  All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

My Rating:

About the Author:

Leah Weiss is a Southern writer born in North Carolina and raised in the foothills of Virginia. IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE is her debut novel. She retired in 2015 from a 24-year career as Executive Assistant to the Headmaster at Virginia Episcopal School. Leah enjoys speaking with book clubs. You may contact her at her website leahweiss.com.