From the pre-eminent chronicler of this forgotten territory, stories that range over one hundred years in the troubled, violent emergence of the New South.
 
In Ron Rash's stories, spanning the entire twentieth century in Appalachia, rural communities struggle with the arrival of a new era.
 
Three old men stalk the shadow of a giant fish no one else believes is there. A man takes up scuba diving in the town reservoir to fight off a killing depression. A grieving mother leads a surveyor into the woods to name once and for all the county where her son was murdered by thieves.
 
In the Appalachia of Ron Rash's stories, the collision of the old and new south, of antique and modern, resonate with the depth and power of ancient myths.

Praise for Ron Rash:
 
""A major Southern writer . . . The World Made Straight reminds us of the sort of compelling literature a brave artist can fashion from the shards of such experience.""--Los Angeles Times
 
""Captivating . . . His clear, concise prose and regional voice add an authentic veneer to this rich tableau of Southern life.""--Entertainment Weekly on Saints at the River
 
""Ron Rash writes like a prince.""--Pat Conroy