Contents copyright 2007-10, Jon Clinch
Order Kings
of the Earth...
Praise for Kings of the Earth.
"In this masterful and compassionate novel...the prismatic narrative shifts time and point of view, and Clinch readily slips into the voices of his diverse cast of characters. Through evocative descriptions of the rural landscape, and by imbuing these odd men with a gentle nobility, Clinch has created a haunting, suspenseful story."
– O, The Oprah Magazine
"This is a gritty but nonetheless warm-hearted and beautifully realized novel. Clinch has brought these men and their world vividly to life. [He] addresses one of Faulkner's favorite themes—our ability to endure—and explores it in ways that are inspiring and poignant."
— Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Kings of the Earth is the product of a truly inspired pairing. By applying Faulkner's pointillism and stream of consciousness to the Upstate Gothic, Jon Clinch delivers a rich, involving yarn. As one character says: 'Out here there is no such thing as a main road. . . . Everything winds.'"
— Stewart O'Nan, author of Last Night at the Lobster
"To read a book by Jon Clinch is to enter an emotional mineshaft, a place where the darkness is profound and menacing yet lures you on with the promise of untold treasure. Like Finn, Clinch's stunning debut, Kings of the Earth is blunt and brutal yet beautifully told, a classic tale of family kinship twisted askew. It is a fine fable as well, leaving in its wake the resonance of a modern ballad – more Waits than Springsteen – about the fate of America's rural outback."
— Julia Glass, author of Three Junes and winner of the National Book Award
"In this multilayered, pastoral second novel, a death among three elderly, illiterate brothers on an upstate New York farm raises suspicions and accusations in the surrounding community. Family histories and troubles are divulged in short chapters by a cacophony of characters speaking in first person. Secrets and hidden alliances are revealed. Clinch explores family dynamics in this quiet storm of a novel that will stun readers with its power."
– Publishers Weekly (Starred, Pick of the Week)
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Introduce Your Book Group to Kings.
A new reading group guide for Kings of the Earth is available for download here.
Following up Finn—his much-heralded and prize-winning debut whose voice evoked "the mythic styles of his literary predecessors...William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy and Edward P. Jones" (San Francisco Chronicle)—Jon Clinch returns with a powerful and haunting story of life, death, and family in rural America.