Release date: June 18th 2024
Sub-genres: magic realism, Romance, Literary Fiction
About Wildcat:
Discover the captivating allure of the Appalachian region as Jeffrey Dunn skillfully weaves a tale of love, loss, and redemption in his exquisitely crafted literary fiction masterpiece, Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance. Immerse yourself in the depths of the rust belt's rugged landscapes, where the echoes of industrial disaster intertwine with the sublime beauty of nature, all while the characters navigate the delicate dance between past and future.
In this poignant narrative, our protagonist, a retired English teacher who goes by New Kid, returns to his roots, lured back to the once-shuttered Hotel Wildcat, now revitalized as a collective endeavor. As he ventures through this transformed community, a new world unfolds before his eyes. The former mine, once a symbol of tragedy, now thrives as a flourishing mushroom farm. The dairy emerges as a purveyor of wholesome organic milk products, while the mill stands as a vibrant hub for sustainable and artisanal creations.
Yet amidst this promising rebirth, Wildcat's ominous history remains inescapable-the haunting era of explosions and closures. Similarly, our protagonist's own dark past resurfaces, entwined with memories of Carolyn, his indomitable working-class girlfriend adorned in the trappings of a resilient hippie chic. As he embarks on the ambitious endeavor of penning his memoir-an intimate chronicle you now hold in your hands-he captures both the triumphs and tragedies of those who grappled with the devastating changes that swept through their lives.
Within these pages, Dunn employs prose that dances on the reader's imagination, evoking a sense of timelessness and historical resonance. Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance breathes life into Appalachia while exploring themes of the redemptive potential of rediscovered friendship, the restorative power of nature, and the boundless capacity for transformation.
Excerpt:
Taking Stock
I’ve come back to Wildcat. I say
“back” because I’ve lived here before, the first time for only a year. It was
my senior year of high school. My father managed small manufacturing firms, and
as this was the time of America’s great industrial failure, we moved quite a
bit, hopping from one ill-fated factory town to another. I’m not proud to say
my father closed a lot of mills and sent a lot of men home. And now I’ve
retired to Wildcat.
Wildcat is not a place people
retire to. Most old people in the Rust Belt of Appalachia were born here and
then never left. Interlopers are rare, even ones like me who lived here for a
short time. I feel like a bloomed-out iris in a patch of Wildcat mayapples. And
despite all that, I’m back.
Despite the catastrophic changes
that rocked Wildcat my senior year.
Despite the mine explosion.
Despite the funeral for the miners
who were killed, one of them my friend Dominic’s brother.
Despite the closing of the mill
(and, yes, my father had a hand in that).
Despite the fire at the mill and
then the unthinkable thing that happened after the fire was put out.
Despite the way I left, ending the
relationship with my first love Carolyn, the girl with whom I explored the hill
and the river and the creek, not to mention our art, our feelings and our
bodies, the girl who kept me honest and the girl I left behind.
Yes, despite all that I’ve
returned because my old friend Dominic said I should come back. He told me
about Wildcat’s magical changes, ones so different from the disastrous ones of
the past. He said I needed to see for myself, like how he had started a mushroom
farm in the mine where his brother was killed.
Like how the mill that my father
closed was now a workshop for artisans, a place where paper was being made from
mushrooms, furniture and household utensils from sassafras, and honey and
candles from beehives.
Like how the once failed Hotel
Wildcat was now a thriving collective living and dining space. Dominic said
that there was a room for me in Hotel Wildcat, and I have to say, the picture
he painted of Wildcat was exactly the sort of place where a writer, dreamer,
loner like me could be happy.
Like how Carolyn had recently
returned to Wildcat after all these years. Dominic also said that I had
unfinished business with Carolyn. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what he meant. I
mean, Carolyn and I felt finished fifty years ago, but since this was Dominic,
it was something I couldn’t ignore.
Amazon
About Jeffrey Dunn:
Jeffrey Dunn is a critically acclaimed author and award-winning teacher. His works of cultural fiction include the Washington State Book Award-nominated Radio Free Olympia and his upcoming Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance.
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