What a gifted writer! Ron Rash brings to life a compelling story in his novel “Serena.” It is unlike most of the novels I read, this being set in depression-era North Carolina. But its language paints so detailed and so colorful the setting that no matter the topic of the story, I am certain I would enjoy reading Rash’s telling of it.
The story itself is enthralling. So much plays out in this tale of the title character, Serena, but more so to me, of her husband, known by his last name (even to her), Pemberton. Greed, betrayal, lust, and murder (I am intentionally leaving out love) play out in this story of loggers in the Appalachians, their risks, and their fight against the pending Great Smoky National Park. Add to that the human (and often inhuman) tale of relationships that plays out alongside that of the business ventures, and the reader is given a journey through a world as if sitting alongside the narrator, as if watching it all play out in person.
The book has layer after layer of themes, each woven with another so craftily as to sometimes strike the reader like the rattlesnakes in the book can strike: suddenly and with an ability to grab one’s attention with shock and pending dread. But even the foreshadowing that occurs does not go too far; never is too much revealed so as to spoil the scenes as they unfold.
I chose this book because I knew it is being made into film. Now I question that decision. This book doesn’t need to be made into a film. The writing alone beautifully directed every vivid scene in my mind. But yes, I will see the movie. And oh, how I do hope it does this story justice.