Review of One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash

This is not the "type" of story I usually read. I was attracted to the writing style of Ron Rash through one of his short stories, so I figured I'd pick up one of his novels. I liked his short story so much that I also figured I'd like how he wrote in the longer form; so I decided to pick up this, his first effort, published in 2003, even though it's a "murder mystery." I'm glad I gave this a shot. If you're going to pick this up, I recommend *not* reading too many spoiler-type reviews, like the lengthy and too-detailed review from Publisher's Weekly.

For a first novel, this is a wonderful effort. The story explores a "murder mystery" through five different first-person narrators. This drives the narrative and the suspense of the story, of the who, the why, and the how. But the center of the story is the unfolding and never-ending effects of living with life choices, and chance--and how both can haunt lives for years. The language is at once simple and poetic; the voices are plain but deep and well crafted. (Mr. Rash is also a poet, and that side of him is evident on every page of this novel.)

There were a few story loopholes that didn't sit well with me. But the force of the narrative and Mr. Rash's skills as a storyteller and poet overpowered these in the end.

Highly recommended for such an engaging and well-plotted story, use of narrative and language, all packed into 214 pages.

I really liked it:
4/5 Goodreads
5/5 Amazon