I’ve found a new author! David Joy wields words with grit and uses poetic description to capture the heart of the mountains. After I listened to the first chapter of his novel, When These Mountains Burn, I knew I’d be facing yet another book about the Opioid Crisis in Appalachia. (I’ve also read, and highly recommend, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and Dopesick by Beth Macy.) Yet even though I faced another ride through addiction and despair, I couldn’t help myself. David Joy writes compelling prose.
So compelling that I wonder why I never heard much about Joy’s novel When These Mountains Burn, published in 2020, yet heard SO MUCH about Demon Copperhead, published in 2022. Both tackle the opioid crisis and its affect on rural communities, and quite frankly, I liked Joy’s novel better. His use of multiple points of view and intense pacing made this short, 272 page novel fly by, but had the same sobering affect as Kingsolver’s 560 page story, which often felt long.
The Premise
When These Mountains Burn presents three distinct characters: Raymond Mathis, the father of an addict; Denny Rattler, a man sucked into addiction after a work accident on a construction site; and a DEA agent determined to find the source of the drugs tainting the mountains of Western North Carolina. The competing story lines of these three characters end up colliding as each makes a critical choice to change the way things are going in the Carolina Mountains near Cherokee. All of this against the backdrop of raging forest fires destroying acres of mountains, much like how the opioid crisis is destroying hundreds of lives.
What I liked
Joy’s writing is sparse, yet descriptive. His characters pop off the page. I could appreciate Raymond’s anger with his son’s choices while I also felt his love for the boy he raised. Joy assaults his readers with disturbing images, like those of addicts shooting into their necks, yet balances that with softer contemplation of forgiveness and chosen family. But expect more gritty than sentimental.
In one scene, when Denny’s sister tries to encourage him to seek help for his addiction, the narration gave me great insight into how the mind of an addict might work:
But an addict’s mind was a rockin’ chair. You could have full understanding that moderation didn’t apply to people like you, and at the same time, convince yourself that you could do a little without wantin’ a lot. It was almost like the drugs were talkin’ when things got like that, like the voice you were hearing in your head wasn’t even your own, even tho it sounded like you and reasoned like you.
When These Mountains Burn, David Joy
Somehow, Joy makes you care about each of his characters, the father, the addict, and the DEA agent, all at the same time. The world he creates balances nuance and hard lines, and that conflict kept me tuned in.
What I didn’t like
The description of addicts shooting drugs into their necks, obviously.
Recommendation
If you haven’t yet read a novel about the opioid crisis, I highly recommend When These Mountains Burn. It’s a faster read, with more punch, than Demon Copperhead. And if you’ve already worked your way through Copperhead, I daresay this issue is worth another read. When These Mountains Burn does a great job of exploring all sides of the complicated issue of opioid addiction and what it does to our communities.
David Joy will be speaking at our annual Chautauqua Creative Writing awards this June 21, 2024 at The Millwald Theatre in Wytheville. I cannot wait to hear him, and I plan to read his most recent release, Those We Thought We Knew, next. Watch for a review!
Have you read other books about the opioid crisis? Any you recommend?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
