The King of Clemens is a deft and subtle novel. In its exploration of small-town Appalachian life, the emotional interchanges of the town’s inhabitants almost always ring true. It helps that Wood has a sure grip on all kinds of subjects, from bootmaking to fishing to Alzheimer’s to the travails of a long-standing marriage. His chronology is sometimes a bit startling, as a new chapter jumps forward or back, over days or even decades. The reason this works, I think, is because that’s how our memories come to us, skipping back and forth in time. Wherever Wood goes, he pulls me in. As Walt Whitman might put it, the book is large, it contains multitudes.

-John Thorndike

This well-crafted debut novel by George Wood offers a detailed portrait of a small American town caught up in the travails of change. The story of Clemens, North Carolina is more than that, however. It also explores deeply human questions surrounding generational conflict, family trauma, and the nature of community itself. Ultimately, The King of Clemens is about our search for home and the price we pay to find it. You will want to visit with this book and, when you do, you won’t want the visit to end.

-Terry Roberts, author of The Sky Club and In the Fullness of Time