Carl finds some support in the community, forming a friendship with the town veterinarian, Gideon Boggs—who possibly knows more than he reveals—and a romance with the flirtatious but pushy waitress Del. Complicating matters is the fact that Carl is abusive to James and Butch, becoming violent with them when they don’t immediately obey him, and repeatedly putting Del and his job ahead of James and Butch’s safety and happiness. It’s Butch, then, who emerges as the true hero of the story, repeatedly saving Carl and James’s lives, fighting the drug dealers with superheroic determination and strength, and even sometimes proving more of a caring dad to James than Carl can manage, offering comfort when the younger Williams is sad or injured.

In the novel’s second half, after a wild scene involving Butch, a church service, and a bottle of OxyContin, Green’s emphasis shifts from Carl’s relationships to the opioid crisis, showcasing the toll of addiction, contrasting the drug business with moonshining, and deftly demonstrating the fickleness of the public. More interested in local football games than the epidemic, the community both embraces and turns against Butch and Carl. A blossoming romance for Josh offers some relief from the grim realities of opioids, and a key scene in which Carl reveals a painful secret to James (and Butch) is heartbreaking, though it can’t excuse his abusive, controlling behavior, and the frequent strong profanity makes this an uneasy fit for YA. The finale is bittersweet but realistic.

Takeaway: A cop and a dedicated dog fight opioids and inner demons in West Virginia.

Comparable Titles: Liz Moore's Long Bright River, Paula Munier’s A Borrowing of Bones.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B