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David Joy

Goodreads Author

Born

in Charlotte, The United States

Website

http://www.david-joy.com/

Twitter

DavidJoy_Author

Genre

Fiction, Memoir

Influences

Larry Brown, Daniel Woodrell, William Gay, Ron Rash, Jim Harrison

Member Since

April 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/davidjoy_author

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David Joy is the author of the Edgar nominated novel Where All Light Tends to Go (Putnam, 2015), as well as the novels The Weight Of This World (Putnam, 2017), The Line That Held Us (Putnam, 2018), and When These Mountains Burn (Putnam, 2020). His memoir, Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey (Bright Mountain Books, 2011), was a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award and the Ragan Old North State Award for Creative Nonfiction. His latest stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Garden & Gun, and The Bitter Southerner. He is the recipient of an artist fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council. His work is represented by Julia Kenny of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency. He lives in Jackson Cou ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Hey David, I went to your reading for a class at WCU last week, and I ended up really enjoying it. I now have a desire to read some literature from Western NC, but after finishing your book, I won't know where to look next. Could you suggest some author with books set in the area that I should read?

David Joy If you enjoy that type of darker story I'd suggest reading all of Ron Rash's work, particularly the short story collections (Chemistry, Burning Bright…moreIf you enjoy that type of darker story I'd suggest reading all of Ron Rash's work, particularly the short story collections (Chemistry, Burning Bright, Nothing Gold Can Stay), though I really like his novels as well, my favorite being The World Made Straight. If that's the type of story you're into, you might want to broaden to the rest of the South and read Larry Brown, William Gay, Barry Hannah, and Harry Crews, who I consider the godfathers of what I'm trying to do, their own writing being rooted in Faulkner and O'Connor and even McCarthy.

If you're wanting to stay within the North Carolina mountains, Charles Frazier and Wayne Caldwell are really great, but if we can open the conversation up to all of Appalachia the list gets really big. I love Silas House, especially his novel A Parchment of Leaves. As far as women, read Lee Smith and Darnell Arnoult and Pamela Duncan and Sharyn McCrumb.

There are a lot of really great young writers too, writers like Mark Powell and Charles Dodd White and Denton Loving and Sheldon Lee Compton. My favorite novel this year has been Robert Gipe's Trampoline, which is set in the Kentucky coal fields. There are just loads and loads of really talented writers in this region.

Also check out some anthologies like Degrees of Elevation, which collects a lot of these writers, with a new installment of that anthology series coming out this summer called Appalachia Now. There are also some really great journals like Still or Drafthorse or Appalachian Heritage that showcase a lot of emerging talent in the region. These journals are online, for the most part, and free to read.

If you're still reading this then that ought to keep your bedside table stacked up for a while. Hope that helps.(less)

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I enjoyed your book Where all Light Tends to Go. I am confused, however, by the last sentences. "That restful time was near now, and I finally understood that there'd never been any difference between here or there." "Only the middle ground of this wicked world mattered, the vast gap that stretched between, and those who were born with enough grit to brave it. Will you please explain? Many thanks.

David Joy

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[ I'm typically not one to give definitive explanations as I think that's one of the most beautiful things about books, that individual illumination and…more I'm typically not one to give definitive explanations as I think that's one of the most beautiful things about books, that individual illumination and self discovery. But I think in this case those lines are pivotal in understanding what I wanted that final scene and final image to do, so here goes...

I think that when we look at points in a person's life, two major points are current location and destination, where are we right now and where do we want to go. Jacob has always been someone tied to the life he was born into. For his entire life, he's been immobilized by circumstance. He's very cognizant of this and he can easily see where he is because of who he is--going all the way back to that opening paragraph, "I was a McNeely and in this part of Appalachia that meant something."--just as he can see where he would go if he could be anything he wanted. So we've got two points: here and there. Again, going back to the beginning, Jacob has always been aware that it's his own fears and insecurities that have kept him tied to that place and that life (from Chapter One): "What was disappointing about that school, my life, and this whole fucking place was that I'd let it beat me. I'd let what I was born into control what I'd become. Mama snorted crystal, Daddy sold it to her, and I'd never had the balls to leave." In the words of Jacob, "That was [his] life in a nutshell."

So at the end of the novel, it's that same central conflict. Jacob can see where he is and where he wants to go. He has two choices. He can stay in that house and let the officers take him and let the world once again decide what his life will become. Or, for once, he can gather the strength and courage to make that decision for himself. That's what he does. He walks into the gunfire because leaving that wicked world behind seems braver than bearing it.

Ultimately what I'm trying to say is that the same truth holds for all of us. Each of us have a current location and a destination. The only difference between those two points is the space between and yet so many stay shackled to exactly where they've been their entire lives because they're too goddamned scared to take a chance. We fear the middle ground between those two points. We fear change and so we settle for the safety and security of staying put. It takes an act of bravery to walk into that "vast gap" where we don't know what will happen. It takes an act of bravery to know exactly what you want and to walk fearlessly into the in-between with a confidence and pride that nothing can stop you but yourself. Jacob does just that. And as sad as that ending may be, as misdirected as he may have been in choosing that destination, I think there's a lot to be learned in how fearless he was in that moment.(less) (hide spoiler)]

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David Joy’s books

Average rating: 3.78 · 12,983 ratings · 2,288 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	Where All Light Tends to Go 3.74 avg rating — 6,188 ratings — published 2015 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Line That Held Us 3.72 avg rating — 4,679 ratings — published 2018 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Weight of This World 3.94 avg rating — 1,619 ratings — published 2017 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When These Mountains Burn 4.26 avg rating — 482 ratings — published 2020 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gather at the River: Twenty-Five Authors on Fishing by David Joy (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Eric Rickstad (Goodreads Author) (Editor/Contributor), Taylor Brown (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.27 avg rating — 37 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey by David Joy (Goodreads Author), Michael Polomik (Illustrator) 4.37 avg rating — 27 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Là où les lumières se perdent extrait by David Joy (Goodreads Author), Fabrice Pointeau (Translator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Appalachia Now by Charles Dodd White (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Larry Smith (Editor), Jacinda Townsend (Contributor) 4.07 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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A True Story: A Novella

by Sheldon Lee Compton (Goodreads Author)

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David’s Recent Updates

David Joy is now friends with Christine Lenzen
Jun 27, 2020 08:32AM · like
David Joy rated a book it was amazing F*ckface: and Other Stories by Leah Hampton (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As fine a collection as you are ever likely to encounter. Leah Hampton may very well be Appalachia's finest story writer at work.
Jan 27, 2020 07:05AM · 25 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fckface by Leah Hampton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fckface by Leah Hampton <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Joy rated a book it was amazing Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
One of the most beautiful books I've ever read. I don't know what else to say. It left me at a loss for words. Read it. Just read it.
Dec 02, 2018 01:39PM · 24 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Joy answered a question about There There: I just added this book to my "To Read Soon" list. I am curious-- what is the significance of the title "There There"? Thanks! "You know what Gertrude Stein said about Oakland?" Rob says. Dene shakes his head no but actually knows, actually googled quotes about Oakland when researching his project. He knows exactly what the guy is about to say. "There is no there there," he sa See Full Answer
Jun 24, 2018 06:27AM · 6 likes · like
David Joy rated a book it was amazing There There by Tommy Orange (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If a week ago you’d told me I’d read a novel better than Richard Powers’ The Overstory this year, I’d have said I was doubtful. If you’d told me it would be a debut novel, I’d have said you were out of your mind. Nevertheless, here I am reading a boo ...more
Jun 15, 2018 12:45PM · 58 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of There There by Tommy Orange. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — There There by Tommy Orange <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Joy rated a book it was amazing The Overstory by Richard Powers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Trying to explain Richard Powers' Overstory a few weeks back I told someone that it was as if Wendell Berry had written a work of magical realism. I don't know if that's exactly right or not now, but I know that this novel is something different than ...more
Jun 12, 2018 12:48PM · 52 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Overstory by Richard Powers. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Overstory by Richard Powers <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Joy rated a book it was amazing The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
John Branch's resume speaks for itself. Pulitzer. PEN. Flat out, he's one of the most, if not THE most, talented sports writers at work. His essay "Deliverance From 27,000 Feet" might've been my favorite thing I read last year. Now comes The Last Cow ...more
Jun 12, 2018 12:39PM · 8 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Last Cowboys by John Branch. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Last Cowboys by John Branch <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Joy joined the group The Bitter Southerner Book Club
May 29, 2018 05:04PM · like
David Joy rated a book it was amazing The Line That Held Us by David Joy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I wanted to write a book as if William Gay and Flannery O'Connor co-wrote McCarthy's Child Of God. I wanted to create a "bad guy" as memorable as Lester Ballard, The Misfit, or the Paper-Hanger. This was as close as I could get to that.
May 02, 2018 12:20PM · 67 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Line That Held Us by David Joy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Line That Held Us by David Joy <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by David Joy

“That kind of love wasn’t for anyone outside the two of them. It was private and silent, sufficient as grace.”
― David Joy, The Line That Held Us

4 likes

“There wasn’t any way out of that darkness but forward.”
― David Joy, Where All Light Tends to Go

2 likes

“For as tough as the men were in these mountains, the women had always been stone. They were used to loss, accustomed to never having enough. They were fit for the harshness of this world.”
― David Joy, The Line That Held Us

1 likes

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Polls

December BoTM: A book published in 2015 Nominations

1st Poll- top five books move onto the next round.

The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

11 votes, 16.2%

Go Set a Watchman

by Harper Lee

10 votes, 14.7%

A Spool of Blue Thread

by Anne Tyler

9 votes, 13.2%

Red Queen

by Victoria Aveyard

8 votes, 11.8%

A Little Life

by Hanya Yanagihara

6 votes, 8.8%

Life or Death

by Michael Robotham

5 votes, 7.4%

The Stranger

by Harlan Coben

5 votes, 7.4%

BULL MOUNTAIN

by Brian Panowich

5 votes, 7.4%

Summer Secrets

by Jane Green

3 votes, 4.4%

God Save the Child

by Toni Morrison

3 votes, 4.4%

In Wilderness

by Diane Thomas

2 votes, 2.9%

Marked

by Sarah Fine

1 vote, 1.5%

Where All Light Tends to Go

by David Joy

0 votes, 0.0%

68 total votes

5 comments

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A Million More Pages: Sneaky S'mores vs The Wrecking Crew	776	91	Jul 18, 2015 12:14PM
On the Southern L...: Bull Mountain, by Brian Panowich: Initial impressions. September 2015	46	49	Sep 15, 2015 10:55AM
A Million More Pages: Arts & Crafts: Friendship Bracelets	88	159	Oct 18, 2015 05:17AM

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David’s Quotes

“They lay silently. She was staring at something across the room. She was making him feel uncomfortable. 'It wouldn't work. It's the attraction of opposites,' he said.

We're not opposites.'

I don't mean just you and me. Women fall in love when they get to know you. Men are just the opposite. When they finally know you they're ready to leave.”
― James Salter

tags: men, relationships, women

336 likes

“Some souls aren't worth saving, I thought. There're some souls that even the devil wants no part of.”
― David Joy, Where All Light Tends to Go

5 likes

“There was a place where all light tends to go, and I reckon that was heaven.”
― David Joy, Where All Light Tends to Go

1 likes

“Light never shined on a man like me and that was certain. In a lot of ways, that made men like Daddy the lucky ones to have only ever known the darkness. Knowing only darkness, a man doesn't have to get his heart broken in search of the light. I envied him for that.”
― David Joy, Where All Light Tends to Go

4 likes

“Only the middle ground of this wicked world mattered, the vast gap that stretched between, and those who were born with enough grit to brave it.”
― David Joy, Where All Light Tends to Go

5 likes

More of David’s quotes…