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Nitro Mountain
  • Published: 18 May 2017
  • ISBN: 9781101912447
  • Imprint: Knopf US
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $38.00

Nitro Mountain

A novel

Formats & editions
EBook
17 May 2016
Paperback
18 May 2017
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An astonishing and nervy debut, Nitro Mountain is a study in Appalachian noir, following a group of small-town Virginian characters--"the good, the bad, and those who swing back and forth" (John Casey) who are bound together by alcohol, petty crime and music.

In the mine-riddled town of Bordon, Virginia, a group of lost souls are bound together by alcohol, small-time crime, and music.

Leon is a lovesick bass player with a broken hand and a belief that next time—next time—he’ll definitely get it right; Jennifer is the bright-but-battered waitress who can’t quite escape the orbit of Arnett, the local drug dealer. When Jennifer convinces Leon to murder Arnett so she can finally be free, a dark chain of events is set in motion, its violence echoing the pain and misery that shape their fractured lives.
  • Published: 18 May 2017
  • ISBN: 9781101912447
  • Imprint: Knopf US
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $38.00
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Praise for Nitro Mountain

  • "Cover to cover, the book exerts a fierce magnetic pull, sucking its reader into a profound desolation." --Nashville Scene
  • "Daring ... a worthy addition to the growing canon of contemporary Appalachian noir.... Nitro Mountain is like the home we failed to escape." --Electric Lit
  • "Excellent ... bold, arresting and well-timed [with] intelligent and sympathetic portraits of hard-up people making bad, justifiable decisions." --BookPage
  • "Appalachian noir at its darkest and most deranged . . . An ambitious, disturbing, and daring debut." --Kirkus Reviews (starred)
  • "A suspenseful, action-packed thriller that's also a brilliant study in humanity and what pushes someone over the line." --Jill McCorkle
  • "Perturbingly good. Hazardous. Addictive. Harrowing and hilarious too." --Joy Williams
  • "There is rough, real music in the voices of these characters, people for whom staying out of trouble would be a full-time job. Set in a place diminished by greed, where revenge is an art form, this novel abounds with ugly acts wrapped in beautiful language. How can it be as funny as it is, then? Hilarious, harsh, original--meet Lee Clay Johnson." --Amy Hempel