Where All Light Tends to Go Audiobook By David Joy cover art

Where All Light Tends to Go

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Where All Light Tends to Go

By: David Joy
Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
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In the country-noir tradition of Winter's Bone meets Breaking Bad, a savage and beautiful story of a young man seeking redemption.

The area surrounding Cashiers, North Carolina, is home to people of all kinds, but the world that Jacob McNeely lives in is crueler than most. His father runs a methodically organized meth ring, with local authorities on the dime to turn a blind eye to his dealings. Having dropped out of high school and cut himself off from his peers, Jacob has been working for this father for years, all on the promise that his payday will come eventually. The only joy he finds comes from reuniting with Maggie, his first love, and a girl clearly bound for bigger and better things than their hardscrabble town.

Jacob has always been resigned to play the cards that were dealt him, but when a fatal mistake changes everything, he's faced with a choice: stay and appease his father, or leave the mountains with the girl he loves. In a place where blood is thicker than water and hope takes a back seat to fate, Jacob wonders if he can muster the strength to rise above the only life he's ever known.

©2015 David Joy (P)2015 Penguin Audio Coming of Age Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Noir Small Town & Rural Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Scary

Editorial reviews

Editors Select, March 2015 - Where All Light Tends to Go was first described to me as Breaking Bad meets Winter's Bone. I was in the middle of binge-watching Walter White's journey at the time – and couldn't get enough – so had to start reading this book. David Joy's debut, about a young man trying to escape the cycle of violence passed on in his family, is beautifully written and truly haunting. It's dark, gritty, and not for the faint of heart. I can't help but think that Joy – who I'm told is a big fan of audio – will be just as excited as we are to have listener favorite MacLeod Andrews performing his work. Diana, Audible Editor
Beautiful Prose • Compelling Characters • Complex Protagonist • Authentic Setting • Gripping Storyline • Emotional Depth
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Jacob McNeely realizes his lot in life. He understands while he's growing up that he's Southern White Trash offspring. It's nothing for him to share a joint with his junkie mother. He's dropped out of high school, and he is targeted by police who are one the one hand, disgusted by him, and on the other, afraid to upset his father who happens to be a big meth distributor in his town and county.

Jacob dreams of being able to leave small trash loserville with his high school sweetie Maggie.

Things start to spiral out of control when his father begins to make some even worse decisions which involve Jacob. Will Jacob get revenge, will he fall in his father's footsteps, or will his dream of getting out of town with Maggie come true?

This story is solid. It kept me wanting to listen on mainly because of the narrator's performance. He sounds like Matt Mcconaughey, with a deep sexy Southern Drawl. David Joy really makes Jacob come to life. His character is rich, complex and pure. The reader/listener will like him immediately, but become frustrated with his poor environment and his family ties.

Where Are The Light Tends To Go moves a little slow for a short book. I did enjoy the book and the narration, but it was missing something- which was character development beyond the our main character (which was very deep).

Overall I would give it 4 stars. Depressing book, but beautifully read and great main character.

Where No Light Ever Shines

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I sort of bought this book on a whim - I think it was part of a BOGO sale and looked interesting. Boy, what a great choice it turned out to be. This isn't really a coming-of-age story as much as a story of destiny vs free choice, and whether one is bound by history (and family) or if one is able to reinvent oneself into something new. The 18 year old narrator tries to decide if he will be stuck in the small-town backwoods environment where his family is synonymous with meth and crime, or if he is able to break free to move to the coast with his girlfriend. He feels that his family's history and lifestyle (father is a kingpin meth dealer, mother is a meth addict) is a death sentence - like a black hole that is dragging him ever closer, and continually resisting his attempts to break away.

As an added bonus, the narration is spot on perfect, with enough Southern accent to be believable, but not too much so as to appear cliched.

I really loved this book

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Great characters. Great story. Great narration. It's a dark place, but it leads eventually to the light.

Simply great!

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Definitely the best of Joy's work. Raw, powerful, story that sticks with you. Joy definitely has a style that is unique to him, and that style resonates best here.

Powerful

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The story was gripping, but haunting in 'The Book of Ruth' sort of way. It will resonate for quite a while, which is the sure sign of a great book. I could listen to this reader for hours, even if he were only reading recipes.

Dark, but well done

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loved it! I've read all of his books. a must read for anyone with small town roots.

another great one from david joy

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Perfect narration. I usually prefer reading over listening but this book could not have been better narrated. It takes super and special talent to write something this dark that can be beheld as art. I'm feeling puzzled that I do not feel despair or depression over the book's grim and gritty reality. This book was written with eloquence in a vernacular that could have been seedy, or trashy, and instead had its own haunting beauty, again, largely due to excellent narration. I would have wished for a happier ending or redeeming characters, I think, had the writing not have been so brilliant. NOT a feel good book, and one I won't soon forget.

Dark Art

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The writing and narrating deserve 10 stars. I am purchasing more David Joy novels. First I've ever read (listened) to this type of book but cannot get enough.

extraordinary!

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Absolutely worth the listen.
The story kept me wanting to know more and more and listened almost non stop until it was over. Definitely will be looking at other novels by David Joy

Very interesting and quick listen

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My first book by David Joy, this will not be my last, I hope you soar Maggie. So many feelings, Dear Netflix and Imagine Entertainment if you wanted to make a movie about life in Appalachia you missed the mark and the right author ( side note I hear so many people say Appalachia wrong, say it like this: apple at cha, I know the spelling says something else but you have to go with what the folks that live there say) David Joy wrote poetry in book form. This book immerses us in Jacobs' life, we hear his thoughts, his feelings, and his view of his stark reality. I started this book late in the evening and ended it in one sitting. Needless to say, I slept very late this morning to get just five hours of sleep. Do not skip this book. 15+
This book did get a movie it is called Devil's Peak, and Billy Bob Thornton is Jacob's dad, currently streaming on HULU. I normally don't watch adaptations because they ruin the books, and casting never matches, but Billy Bob as Charlie gives me hope!

excellent

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