In David Joy’s debut novel, eighteen-year-old Jacob McNeely fights for his soul against a meth-kingpin father who has turned his mother into a zombie-like addict and cowed him into being a loyal soldier himself. In a town where money or fear keeps the criminal machine running, Jacob has a crisis of conscience which threatens to burn it all to the ground. Where All the Light Tends to Go is one of the most unflinching fictional looks at the criminal subculture of Appalachia published in recent memory.
In this podcast interview, David Joy talks about the difference between meth and crack cultures, drafting and revising, and the expectations of both first and second novels. He will discuss Where All the Light Tends to Go at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 1, 2015, at 6:30 p.m., and at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on May 2, 2015, at 2 p.m.
To download the podcast click here. To see a short video clip of the interview, click the play button below:
To read Chapter 16’s review of Where All Light Tends to Go, click here.
Stephen Usery is the producer of Book Talk, an author-interview program that airs daily on WYPL FM 89.3 and is sponsored by the Memphis Public Library. Usery also produces Mysterypod, an independent podcast focused on mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels. He lives in Memphis.
