Review
It's possible that human nature can be distilled down to two basic elements: love and hatred, and the species would never have survived this long without their absolute balance. The setting for Ron Rash's
The Cove - World War I, in the heart of the isolated, backwoods of Appalachia - provides a perfect medium for acting out human drama, pitting these two elements against each other.
When threatened, the townspeople of Mars Hill draw closer to what is theirs and to what feels familiar, while misfits and outcasts orbit outside. In this case, they've chosen to center their hatred on the obvious enemy - the Germans. But, as inevitably happens in times of war, innocents get caught up with the guilty. War is suffering, and not just on the battlefield. Rash makes this theme very plain through violence committed against regular people who suddenly have to justify themselves...
Beyond the Book
Ron Rash was born in Chester, South Carolina, in 1953, grew up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, and is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University and Clemson University. In 1994 he published his first book, a collection of short stories titled
The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth. Since then, Rash has published four collections of poetry, three short story collections, and five novels, all to wide critical acclaim and several awards and honors. Rash's poems and stories have appeared in more than 100 magazines and journals over the years. With each new book, Rash has confirmed his position as a central and significant...
