A small-time hood tries to escape the family business in this powerful story of crime and drug abuse in rural America.
The town of Sewardville, Kentucky teeters on the edge of a violent abyss, overrun with methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse. The Slone family controls everything. Patriarch Walt Slone is the town’s mayor and head of one of the largest crime syndicates in the eastern United States. His son metes out justice from behind his sheriff’s badge, while his daughter handles all the numbers for the family business.
Business for the Slones is good, too – at least until Walt orders his son-in-law Boone to kill his own brother. That becomes the first link in a chain of events that threatens not just the livelihood of all involved, but their lives as well. While the Slones move to strengthen their empire, Boone moves to break free and take his little daughter with him. Will he escape from one of America’s most heartbroken regions, or will his dark past bury him forever in the place they call Sewerville?
Author Interview
What are the main themes of your book?
Sewerville is a novel about wanting to escape the present, but being anchored to the past. The book is set in a modern rural America that is economically depressed and overrun by meth and painkiller abuse; the protagonist is a small-time hood who wants to escape the criminal life but finds it difficult.
Who or what inspired your story?
I grew up in eastern Kentucky but left right after high school. Every time I went home, it seemed like there was another story about someone dying of an overdose or committing a crime to feed their habit. The place seemed to be really sliding downhill and I wanted to tell that story. I wasn’t interested in an ugly rant — there are enough of those in the world already — but I thought I could share something in a thoughtful, literary way.
What do you like best about your primary characters?
They know they’re bad people in bad circumstances, but they’re doing the best they can — whether that’s trying to leave those surroundings, or just take advantage of them.
What are their worst peculiarities?
The book is filled with murderers, drug dealers, thieves, and generally bad people, so I guess there are plenty of peculiarities to go around!
How does your main character evolve?
He goes from being a gangster’s thug to ultimately turning his back on the criminal life. In the beginning he feels like he can never get away but works hard to find his way out.
What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?
That there is always a way out. No matter how bad things might seem, you can get to a better place.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?
Author Mark Rubinstein described it as “The Sopranos in Appalachia… the writing rises at times to lyrical beauty.”
I think my favorite Amazon review said simply, “I thought this was a weird book. I finished thinking it was a very interesting view of the seedier side of the life by a man who chose to live that way,” which is exactly what I would hope a reader might take from it.
Read these and other reviews on Amazon.
Where can we purchase it?
It’s also available at most local bookstores (they’ll order it if it’s not on the shelf), including my three favorites: Morris Bookshop, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Carmichael’s Bookstore.
About the Author
Aaron Saylor lives in the Louisville area with his wife, Leslie. Sewerville (Point Nine Publishing) is his first novel. Lost Change and Loose Cousins — a collection of short stories and essays, co-authored with Kevin Hall — is scheduled for publication in mid-2013 by Point Nine Publishing.
Visit him on Facebook, Twitter and at his personal website.
