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Amidst This Fading Light
Dominated by a few old, founding families, Germantown was mired in tradition and hearsay. All that changed once the Picketts arrived. No one knew what to make of them at first, and no one could have predicted the unbelievable tragedy this family would bring to the small town. Set against the backdrop of the rural North Carolinian piedmont during the Great Depression, Amidst This Fading Light explores life, death, and what it means to carry on as we deal with what fate forces upon us, both the light and the dark, to persevere and survive or to be swept away by time and inescapable memory.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
206 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
About the author
Rebecca Davis
116 books48 followersRebecca Davis is a biblical scholar, writer, and advocate for abuse survivors. She has written over 400 articles at Here's the Joy and has published over 20 books, including the Untwisting Scriptures series.
With an understanding of trauma and a deep desire to explore and explain what the Bible really means in its full context, Rebecca’s goal is to help abuse survivors see what the Scriptures really mean, free from the twisted teachings that enabled their abuse.
Her work combines rigorous biblical scholarship with compassionate, accessible writing for those on the healing journey.
Before writing for adults, Rebecca authored nonfiction for children and young people, including biographies of great Christians and true stories of "hidden heroes" from around the world.
Connect with Rebecca at heresthejoy[dot]com.
With an understanding of trauma and a deep desire to explore and explain what the Bible really means in its full context, Rebecca’s goal is to help abuse survivors see what the Scriptures really mean, free from the twisted teachings that enabled their abuse.
Her work combines rigorous biblical scholarship with compassionate, accessible writing for those on the healing journey.
Before writing for adults, Rebecca authored nonfiction for children and young people, including biographies of great Christians and true stories of "hidden heroes" from around the world.
Connect with Rebecca at heresthejoy[dot]com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 13, 2018
The author guided me on a well-written journey back in time to her hometown hidden away in the roots of the Southeastern part of the United States. The main protagonist of this entrancing novel was well-drawn. The scenes never strayed far from the storyline which made for fluid reading.
A disaster of epic proportion was in the making that would shake this town to its very core. It would grab the attention of the newspaper headlines across the country and regretfully, would be sorrowfully remembered for years to come. Not even small towns are immune to big city tragedies.
The opening scene kicked off during the hot summer days of 1919 in the quaint town of Germanton, North Carolina. World War 1 had recently ended; the motor car was beginning to take America by storm. It was a time for awakening.
As with most small towns, everyone knew everybody else's business. As a result, the hierarchy between the upper and lower classes were clearly defined. And those of the upper-echelon showed it.
To the curiosity of all, a new family moved into town, the Pickett's. The townsfolk watched them with suspicious eyes, especially, Honora Brow, the town gossip. It was important for her to find out what business they had in their sacred community. She wouldn't need to wait long.
Quince, the eldest son of the interloping family would rally his presence throughout the novel. Waiting in the wings was the woman of his dreams, Lela. Cupid's arrow would have its day, though; it would come at a steep price. Little did the people of Germanton know what horrific disaster loomed just around the corner. When it came, it struck like a tornado.
I send my gratitude to NetGalley and Southern Fried Karma for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
A disaster of epic proportion was in the making that would shake this town to its very core. It would grab the attention of the newspaper headlines across the country and regretfully, would be sorrowfully remembered for years to come. Not even small towns are immune to big city tragedies.
The opening scene kicked off during the hot summer days of 1919 in the quaint town of Germanton, North Carolina. World War 1 had recently ended; the motor car was beginning to take America by storm. It was a time for awakening.
As with most small towns, everyone knew everybody else's business. As a result, the hierarchy between the upper and lower classes were clearly defined. And those of the upper-echelon showed it.
To the curiosity of all, a new family moved into town, the Pickett's. The townsfolk watched them with suspicious eyes, especially, Honora Brow, the town gossip. It was important for her to find out what business they had in their sacred community. She wouldn't need to wait long.
Quince, the eldest son of the interloping family would rally his presence throughout the novel. Waiting in the wings was the woman of his dreams, Lela. Cupid's arrow would have its day, though; it would come at a steep price. Little did the people of Germanton know what horrific disaster loomed just around the corner. When it came, it struck like a tornado.
I send my gratitude to NetGalley and Southern Fried Karma for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
August 29, 2018
Book Reviewed by Marcia on www.whisperingstories.com
The book is based in Germantown, North Carolina, USA. It tells the story of an old family of the town and how things changed when a new family arrived. It is a fictional account of a true story that happened in 1929, a massacre, though the story begins some years before. It weaves a tale of how life can change for numerous people via the actions of one person.
I really did like the book. I was interested to find out how the characters live’s evolved and if they planned out the way it looked like they would. I did, however, struggle to remember the vast amount of characters names and where they fitted into the story, this made me have to reread sections so that I wasn’t confused as to who did what and why. This also meant that the book took longer to read than I expected it to.
If you like stories where the characters have complicated lives and lots thrown at them or stories based on true events, then this is one for you to read. I’d never heard of the massacre until reading this book, so it also felt like I was getting a history lesson too.
I have awarded it three stars down to me having to reread sections and my struggle with the amount of characters names I needed to remember. The book was an intriguing read and I did fully enjoy it. It is also a heart-wrenching read too and will pull at your heart-strings.
The book is based in Germantown, North Carolina, USA. It tells the story of an old family of the town and how things changed when a new family arrived. It is a fictional account of a true story that happened in 1929, a massacre, though the story begins some years before. It weaves a tale of how life can change for numerous people via the actions of one person.
I really did like the book. I was interested to find out how the characters live’s evolved and if they planned out the way it looked like they would. I did, however, struggle to remember the vast amount of characters names and where they fitted into the story, this made me have to reread sections so that I wasn’t confused as to who did what and why. This also meant that the book took longer to read than I expected it to.
If you like stories where the characters have complicated lives and lots thrown at them or stories based on true events, then this is one for you to read. I’d never heard of the massacre until reading this book, so it also felt like I was getting a history lesson too.
I have awarded it three stars down to me having to reread sections and my struggle with the amount of characters names I needed to remember. The book was an intriguing read and I did fully enjoy it. It is also a heart-wrenching read too and will pull at your heart-strings.
August 8, 2018
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'Time could do many things; soften the blow of misaligned teeth, erase a dead girl’s name and fade memories that ought to be forgotten.'
One family moves into Germantown, the Picketts, treated with suspicion, disrupting the ways of the founding families. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Marlowe, Reggie buys the old weathered Himmel homeplace, but one Mrs. Honora Brow says to her audience, “Well, I’ll be. Didn’t you feel that chill?” The Brows have always held sway over the people of Germantown, known to be gifted in the art of ‘Prediction’. The woman who holds fast to her ‘gut feelings’ and it doesn’t bode well that the Picketts don’t hold her in high esteem, as do the rest of the townsfolk. Mrs. Picket is never wrong, how dare these inferior people doubt her? But no one could imagine the stink of tragedy clinging to the Picketts and how it would change the entire town.
This is a brutal tale of the ways in which life picks at people, like vultures. It is about what remains to be salvaged in the wreckage, and the ways in which we are tied. Taking place in the Piedmont region of North Carolina during the Great Depression, choices to be made, actions that horrify our sensibilities today were a reality that had to be confronted. The sorrow begins in Chapter 1, with the passing of a child and a large black pot. A people made of stronger stuff, in a time that snuffed you out with any sign of weakness in character.
Quince isn’t the boy Reggie hoped for, he feels robbed of strapping sons to help work the land and carry on the Pickett name and he never let’s Quince forget it. The slight, dreamy boy gets under his father’s skin while his wife Helen knows the boy is of a tender nature, but Reggie must toughen the boy, and it goes back to his own father, “There was nothing more destructive than his father’s displeasure.” And so the cycle continues. His uncle Marlowe is more successful with the right sort of boys, strong, helpful. Everything is much easier for him, and it eats at Reggie to compare their lives, to know his son could never live up to his inheritance, not like Marlowe’s boys. Years pass, Marlowe has plans, banking on Quince’s tragedy, always wanting something from him. The vile, heartless decision just to make money is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. The horrors never seem to want to release Quince, not even with the gentle touch of love to ground him to the present.
Lela is new to town and quickly befriended by young Louise Pickett, but she can’t help but notice her quiet brother, Quince. So begins their relationship that takes them through blinding grief, deep abiding love, the shaky years of college and the uncertain future that waits for them. The Picketts come to define Germantown, not necessarily for the better. Something about other people’s tragedy makes those close to it think they own it. Neighbors are often too near, judging as Honora does from the start, setting the Picketts up with her smug, superior ‘facts’ about that chillingly odd brood, and yet on the flip side of the coin you have Lela’s family and their unwavering support. A tale about the whims of fate from illnesses, war, abuse, birth, love and everything in between.
It’s a heavy read, sometimes you really need to light that match and burn down the painful reminders of your past to ash.
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Southern Fried Karma
'Time could do many things; soften the blow of misaligned teeth, erase a dead girl’s name and fade memories that ought to be forgotten.'
One family moves into Germantown, the Picketts, treated with suspicion, disrupting the ways of the founding families. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Marlowe, Reggie buys the old weathered Himmel homeplace, but one Mrs. Honora Brow says to her audience, “Well, I’ll be. Didn’t you feel that chill?” The Brows have always held sway over the people of Germantown, known to be gifted in the art of ‘Prediction’. The woman who holds fast to her ‘gut feelings’ and it doesn’t bode well that the Picketts don’t hold her in high esteem, as do the rest of the townsfolk. Mrs. Picket is never wrong, how dare these inferior people doubt her? But no one could imagine the stink of tragedy clinging to the Picketts and how it would change the entire town.
This is a brutal tale of the ways in which life picks at people, like vultures. It is about what remains to be salvaged in the wreckage, and the ways in which we are tied. Taking place in the Piedmont region of North Carolina during the Great Depression, choices to be made, actions that horrify our sensibilities today were a reality that had to be confronted. The sorrow begins in Chapter 1, with the passing of a child and a large black pot. A people made of stronger stuff, in a time that snuffed you out with any sign of weakness in character.
Quince isn’t the boy Reggie hoped for, he feels robbed of strapping sons to help work the land and carry on the Pickett name and he never let’s Quince forget it. The slight, dreamy boy gets under his father’s skin while his wife Helen knows the boy is of a tender nature, but Reggie must toughen the boy, and it goes back to his own father, “There was nothing more destructive than his father’s displeasure.” And so the cycle continues. His uncle Marlowe is more successful with the right sort of boys, strong, helpful. Everything is much easier for him, and it eats at Reggie to compare their lives, to know his son could never live up to his inheritance, not like Marlowe’s boys. Years pass, Marlowe has plans, banking on Quince’s tragedy, always wanting something from him. The vile, heartless decision just to make money is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. The horrors never seem to want to release Quince, not even with the gentle touch of love to ground him to the present.
Lela is new to town and quickly befriended by young Louise Pickett, but she can’t help but notice her quiet brother, Quince. So begins their relationship that takes them through blinding grief, deep abiding love, the shaky years of college and the uncertain future that waits for them. The Picketts come to define Germantown, not necessarily for the better. Something about other people’s tragedy makes those close to it think they own it. Neighbors are often too near, judging as Honora does from the start, setting the Picketts up with her smug, superior ‘facts’ about that chillingly odd brood, and yet on the flip side of the coin you have Lela’s family and their unwavering support. A tale about the whims of fate from illnesses, war, abuse, birth, love and everything in between.
It’s a heavy read, sometimes you really need to light that match and burn down the painful reminders of your past to ash.
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Southern Fried Karma
September 11, 2018
Heidi's review --
Amidst This Fading Light is built around the true story of a family massacre that took place in the author’s hometown of Germantown, North Carolina in 1929. I imagine this crime story haunted the author during her time in Germantown, and the book is similarly haunted by how inescapable the influences of family, place and time are on an individual life.
With a story this shocking, it’s difficult to know where to begin, and Davis chooses to invest the first six chapters in letting readers get to know the town and the people who live there. That slow build pays off so that when the bloody event occurs it’s not experienced as an isolated atrocity but as a deeply personal horror for the whole community and the two young sweethearts at its center, Lela and Quince.
The elegiac quality of the writing is beautiful, yet casts a certain remoteness over the story. That distance is necessary for handling the incidences of violence, of which there are many. It serves to keep them vivid without letting them slide into sensationalism. Amidst This Fading Light is worth a read if you have interest in Appalachian history, and admire well-crafted writing and bold story-telling choices.
To Listen to Inebriati Literati's "minicast" discussion of Amidst This Fading Light, click here: https://bit.ly/2CHcAAH.
Amidst This Fading Light is built around the true story of a family massacre that took place in the author’s hometown of Germantown, North Carolina in 1929. I imagine this crime story haunted the author during her time in Germantown, and the book is similarly haunted by how inescapable the influences of family, place and time are on an individual life.
With a story this shocking, it’s difficult to know where to begin, and Davis chooses to invest the first six chapters in letting readers get to know the town and the people who live there. That slow build pays off so that when the bloody event occurs it’s not experienced as an isolated atrocity but as a deeply personal horror for the whole community and the two young sweethearts at its center, Lela and Quince.
The elegiac quality of the writing is beautiful, yet casts a certain remoteness over the story. That distance is necessary for handling the incidences of violence, of which there are many. It serves to keep them vivid without letting them slide into sensationalism. Amidst This Fading Light is worth a read if you have interest in Appalachian history, and admire well-crafted writing and bold story-telling choices.
To Listen to Inebriati Literati's "minicast" discussion of Amidst This Fading Light, click here: https://bit.ly/2CHcAAH.
August 20, 2019
Geez, I thought the last book I read was depressing, but this one is a contender. If I had paid closer attention to the blurb on the front, I might have seen what was coming. I don't know how to even review this book without spoiling it. The story is set in Germantown, NC --- this is where the author grew up, so she knows and describes the area well. It is also based on a true crime which becomes the center of the story and defines the town. I was captivated from the first chapter, starting with the Brow family matriarch's prediction that the new Pickett family, who has just moved to town, will "bring something queer here, mind you me." The main focus is on Quince Pickett and Lela Jones (her family is also new to town, from Virginia) and how they are affected by the tragedy in that it pulls them closer together, yet puts a space in between them as well. I think the less you know going into this book the better, so that is all I will say...
September 3, 2018
Amidst This Fading Light is a gripping and beautiful novel. If you like historical fiction, nuanced and gorgeous writing that isn't overdone, novels with a powerful sense of mystery, novels told in interconnected stories, or if you're just looking for a great read (the kind that makes you tell yourself "I'll stop after just one more chapter"), here you go! Amidst This Fading Light is already one of my favorite novels, and, I hope, the first of many Rebecca Davis will write!
September 11, 2018
Reposting Inebriati Literati's review here because, spoiler alert, I'm half of Inebriati Literati and I wrote it. If audio is your thing, you can listen to our podcast review of the novel here: https://bit.ly/2CHcAAH.
REVIEW BY INEBRIATI LITERATI
Amidst This Fading Light is built around the true story of a family massacre that took place in the author’s hometown of Germantown, North Carolina in 1929. I imagine this crime story haunted the author during her time in Germantown, and the book is similarly haunted by how inescapable the influences of family, place and time are on an individual life.
With a story this shocking, it’s difficult to know where to begin, and Davis chooses to invest the first six chapters in letting readers get to know the town and the people who live there. That slow build pays off so that when the bloody event occurs it’s not experienced as an isolated atrocity but as a deeply personal horror for the whole community and the two young sweethearts at its center, Lela and Quince.
The elegiac quality of the writing is beautiful, yet casts a certain remoteness over the story. That distance is necessary for handling the incidences of violence, of which there are many. It serves to keep them vivid without letting them slide into sensationalism. Amidst This Fading Light is worth a read if you have interest in Appalachian history, and admire well-crafted writing and bold story-telling choices.
REVIEW BY INEBRIATI LITERATI
Amidst This Fading Light is built around the true story of a family massacre that took place in the author’s hometown of Germantown, North Carolina in 1929. I imagine this crime story haunted the author during her time in Germantown, and the book is similarly haunted by how inescapable the influences of family, place and time are on an individual life.
With a story this shocking, it’s difficult to know where to begin, and Davis chooses to invest the first six chapters in letting readers get to know the town and the people who live there. That slow build pays off so that when the bloody event occurs it’s not experienced as an isolated atrocity but as a deeply personal horror for the whole community and the two young sweethearts at its center, Lela and Quince.
The elegiac quality of the writing is beautiful, yet casts a certain remoteness over the story. That distance is necessary for handling the incidences of violence, of which there are many. It serves to keep them vivid without letting them slide into sensationalism. Amidst This Fading Light is worth a read if you have interest in Appalachian history, and admire well-crafted writing and bold story-telling choices.
August 15, 2019
Story of a small town in NC whose residents are rocked by a murder. The book follows the characters as they deal with their emotions and wonder what would have driven a man to kill his family.
April 6, 2020
Excellent.
Read
June 19, 2019Amidst This Fading Light is a wonderfully written work about a horrible tragedy. Truly, this is one book that I wish I could take back to one of my college classes to analyze alongside my peers and under the guidance of a professor. There are so many themes and big questions brought up through the stories inside, including personal identity, grief, mental health and psychological questions, the role of family, and more.
Described as "a novel in stories," Amidst This Fading Light tells the story of a town over several years. Each story provides insight into a character's life, and eventually you see that all of those separate stories come together to tell one overarching story. This is unique, and very effective; Rebecca Davis utilizes every possible benefit of writing this way. To name just a few: we are able to learn about the personal lives of more characters than traditional formatting allows; a timeline is built slowly, with gaps filled in by later stories and events subtly foreshadowed in earlier stories; the general story is that of the town, not just that of one or two individuals or even a family; and multiple angles are explored for heavy topics. I am sure there are more, but those are at least the elements that stick out to me.
Whether or not to recommend this book weighs heavily on me because it depends very much on the reader as to whether or not this book is a good choice. The writing is brilliant, and I highly recommend it on that fact alone. However, due to the content of the stories, I urge potential readers to use your own discretion in deciding to read ATFL. The subject is not light and it is not to be read lightly. There is nothing trite or easy in the writing; if you are willing to look at one of the darkest results of humanity's free will, to listen to people (not just characters) who have faced unthinkable loss as they find a way to continue with their lives, and to consider some of life's most difficult questions, then this is the right choice.
Extended review posted on Reviews From the Stacks.
Described as "a novel in stories," Amidst This Fading Light tells the story of a town over several years. Each story provides insight into a character's life, and eventually you see that all of those separate stories come together to tell one overarching story. This is unique, and very effective; Rebecca Davis utilizes every possible benefit of writing this way. To name just a few: we are able to learn about the personal lives of more characters than traditional formatting allows; a timeline is built slowly, with gaps filled in by later stories and events subtly foreshadowed in earlier stories; the general story is that of the town, not just that of one or two individuals or even a family; and multiple angles are explored for heavy topics. I am sure there are more, but those are at least the elements that stick out to me.
Whether or not to recommend this book weighs heavily on me because it depends very much on the reader as to whether or not this book is a good choice. The writing is brilliant, and I highly recommend it on that fact alone. However, due to the content of the stories, I urge potential readers to use your own discretion in deciding to read ATFL. The subject is not light and it is not to be read lightly. There is nothing trite or easy in the writing; if you are willing to look at one of the darkest results of humanity's free will, to listen to people (not just characters) who have faced unthinkable loss as they find a way to continue with their lives, and to consider some of life's most difficult questions, then this is the right choice.
Extended review posted on Reviews From the Stacks.
August 28, 2018
This book is based on the true story of a family massacre that occurred in Germantown, North Carolina, the author's hometown, in 1929. It was inspiring to see this book end on a positive versus letting negativity be the last thing on the reader's mind.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews