The Clearing by Tim Gautreaux

Rollicking read of southern historical fiction, begging to be made into a HBO series (often feels like Deadwood set in the Louisana backwoods). I also enjoyed Gautreaux’s best known book The Missing but I preferred this - leaner, more compelling characters and relationships, better pacing.

Gautreaux’s writing contrasts deft lyrical beauty with the brutality of existence, and his short stories are also worth checking out.