Mark Powell (1)

“Jesus wrote only in the dust. Primitive and ephemeral. Everything fluid, everything capable of change.”

Written with biblical intensity, The Sheltering is the work of one of America’s finest writers at the very top of his game. A perfunctory internet search of Mark Powell will inform you that he was educated at The Citadel, the University of South Carolina and Yale Divinity School. The latter explains the spiritual nature of the book. Pete Duval puts it perfectly on the back show more cover:
“If, as Marilynne Robinson has said ‘anything that is written compassionately and perceptive lay probably satisfies every definition of religious’ then Mark Powell's The Sheltering is a deeply religious book”
There are parallel stories at play, one about Luther Redding who is drone pilot flying Reapers over Afghanistan, the other about Bobby and Donny Rose who are haunted by the deaths of two boys. It is complex but the two stories align perfectly at the end. There is a lot going on: alcoholism, divorce, salvation, death. The boom and bust of the property market. Set in Florida, decaying fruit act as a metaphor. Holding a mirror to America post Iraq/Afghanistan, it's haunting, atmospheric and philosophical. The writing is outstanding. Not only my favourite book this year, one of my favourites ever. A brilliant and essential read. show less

Salvation – you either believe in it or you don’t
Written with haunting wisdom, Blood Kin is Appalachian writing at its absolute very best. It's dark and beautiful. Quite how is has so few ratings/reviews is beyond me. But when people like Ron Rash, Charles Dodd White and Silas House tell you that Mark Powell is a superb writer, you should listen. This is brilliant.