Creative Loafing loves Ron Rash’s new book, calls it ‘MacBeth in the Smokies’

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Creative Loafing loves Ron Rash’s new novel, Serena. Here’s part of their review:

If he can avoid the publishing world’s penchant for labeling any author born below Maryland a mere “Southern writer,” with all of that term’s implied limitations, Rash should now take his place in the pantheon of the finest contemporary American novelists. With Serena, Rash hasn’t just created a Southern masterpiece. He’s produced a wonderful American novel that addresses old national themes while also speaking to current times in its portrait of modern business greed colliding with a very old land and its inhabitants. Rash has written some very fine novels before this one, and in fact, his rise in literary stature over the past few years has been a delight. Serena, though, made this reader feel as if those books had been mere training for the heavy lifting he performed for this terrific, eminently accessible novel.

I’m reading Rash’s book right now and loving it. I saw Rash give a reading at Malaprop’s on Sunday, and he was excellent. He’s an engaging man, and friendly and forthrightly answered all questions.

Go out and get this book.

Here’s the YouTube video I posted earlier, of Rash reading from Serena last November.