Audible Spinstering: This Dark Road to Mercy

This week I took a break from the drudgery of listening to James Joyce's Ulysses (yes, I'm aware that calling this drudgery may reveal me as unintelligent, but I have no idea what's happening in that book) and treated myself to Wiley Cash's most recent publication, This Dark Road to Mercy. I'm ashamed of this for two reasons. Firstly because I didn't actually read this book in print, and secondly because I should have preordered the book and received it immediately when it was available. However, I'm going to overlook that and just go ahead and tell you about it. Don't worry. There will be no spoilers.

Before I proceed, I have to say that I had the great pleasure of actually meeting Wiley Cash at my friend Meredith's Wedding about a year ago, and he was incredibly gracious. He could have hidden himself from we adoring fans who had all read A Land More Kind Than Home and wanted to back in his glory, but I tell you he was so kind. Now, let's proceed.

This Dark Road to Mercy was a great listen for a lot of reasons. Firstly, it was just under eight hours long, so I consumed it in just a couple of work days (I have to go to meetings sometimes...). This is a lot more than I can say for Ulysses. Secondly, the book features characters who are all from North Carolina, and this happens to be the first/only audio book I have experienced thus far that has even remotely authentic southern accents and intonations. I almost suspect Cash had a serious hand in choosing his voice actors. Thirdly, the story is great. In both this book and his last, Cash uses a child as one of the narrators, and I think he really achieves this pretty flawlessly. He utilizes multiple narrators throughout both novels, and he is really able to mold each personality into something completely different from the others. Fourthly, it's a crime novel, and you know I love a good crime.

Ok, I could go on and on about this, but I think you should read it for yourself. It's a good book, and from the one time I met Wiley Cash, I decided he's a really nice person. So...there. And yes, he is married, ladies, and she seems pretty awesome, too.