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Maddy Pinson:  Overall I was a little surprised by the ending of the novel. I thought that since the whole novel had been about all these different conflicts that they would be resolved but that didn't necessarily happen. Thad committing suicide didn't really surprise me that much, but going to the church to confess was very surprising. I was hoping for Aiden's sake that he would leave Little Canada and go to Asheville or Hendersonville to start a better life for himself, but the circumstances surrounding him and knowing that he was just a drug addict I think he felt that he couldn't really do better for himself. I am glad that Joy had April leave because I think it is what the readers needed to make the book have a little light in a dark situation. Joy uses irony and foreshadowing through the novel, the way that stood out to me the most was between Aiden and Thad. "'You're not going to be able to live with this, Thad'" (132). Aiden tells Thad he won't be able to live with killing the girls and Doug but its ironic at the end when Aiden has Samuel tied up and we are left wondering if he is going to kill him or not. It also shows some foreshadowing of Aiden telling Thad and then when he ends up doing close to the same thing and maybe the same, we just aren't sure. He leaves the novel ending very questionable which I don't like because I like closure but I guess we will never know if Aiden goes to the point or where April went.

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A part of me agrees with you (Abby) I wonder why that killed himself after he confessed his sins, but at the same time I feel as though he mentally has gone through so much that I feel as though he felt as though there was no other way out and to lift some type of weight off his shoulder he felt as though he needed to confess his sins. I am also confused as to why Aiden never left like he planned to after Thad's death..I feel as though Aiden couldn't leave yes he wanted to and he blamed his staying on Thad, but even once he was dead he still stayed. I also ask the same question as (Maria). Why does David Joy make this book so dark?  Aiden was so young and had a very traumatic experience just like April. Why does he decide to make the lives of the characters so hard? The story as a overall was pretty interesting David joy was able to grab my attention with the words he said and the crazy things that were happening. He was being realistic through the whole thing. Yes, it is harsh and all, but these are things that happen to real people I feel as though that what made this story so intriguing. We don't really think about these things, but real people face these issues they might not be as close contact as they were in this story, but they do happen. (kisha Jackson)

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Javin @abby i also have to agree with your question why did Thad have to commit suicide.

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Maria,yeah.I need a second book, too, to know what will happened with Aiden and most of all April. and now I finally got why Joy said "She is so strong woman". She did it! proud of her                                             (Olesia Prater)

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RIGHT ERIN!!! Did they find Wayne's body? Or Doug??

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i dont think, that book is predictable. Every time I looked at it, I thought "God, what else can happened with those guys" I feel sorry for them, Thad, specifically, but commit suicide is not the way out.  There are better choices you can make in life. And now I finally understood, why David Joy used this awful language. To create more reality in his book, how else these guys supposed to talk?        Also, I've noticed, the way the author structured his chapter, never saw such thing before. Imagery craft of David Joy is what I admire, perfect, long, interesting, emotional, unique, I felt like I was there.                                            (Olesia Prater)

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Abby, I agree with your question. i dont think that Thad needed to kill himself. But I guess, the author knows better  (I think I dont need to put my name on, you can see my grammar mistakes)))) (Olesia)

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Taylor Mickens: I enjoyed the plot. I feel as if Joy needs to make a sequel to the book so we can see where April goes and so we can see what happens to Aiden. I wonder why did David Joy have Loretta Lynn killed in the way she was killed? I can see that what was the closes thing to Thad but it was so graphic. David Joy used a lot of imagery and I liked that. Also he brought the topic of drug use to life for me. I never really been around hard drug use, so this book opened my eyes to stuff that really happens in our country. I feel bad for April, it seems like she was held down by this and she is just leaving now as her child killed himself. I was kind of wanted her to expose Mathis. Am I the only one that wanted that? Because what teenage girl will voluntarily go and fool around with the town deacon??  Over all this was a great book. Might read again. Rating: 8/10

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@Addy i agree with your question why did Thad have to commit suicide. But at the same time all of this was eating him alive because he did a lot of bad things. Natasha Dunn

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Jamera:@Javin I agree it was hard to put down the book sometimes because you were constantly wondering what was next. Although he left us to think about how their lives ended I think it was great way to end it to raise questions and make us think beyond the words in the book.

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^^Natasha Dunn

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Natasha Dunn

I like how the book showed a lot of imagery that is what really made the book so great, even though it was very gruesome. At the end why did Thad have to commit suicide? That was very shocking because I really didn't see that coming and after he confessed his sins I think that is what really shocked me. I wonder will Joy make a part 2 of this story to wrap everything together and showing how all of this affect everybody at the end. I feel like out of all the characters Aiden had it the worse. From the beginning, when he had to watch his dad kill his mother and himself and having to lose the only friend he had throughout the book is heartbreaking. And having to lose April when she moved away. David Joy did good with the structure of the book and leaving everybody clueless.

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Jamera Robinson: @Maria I agree with you I hope Aiden didn't kill Samuel because all though he "knew Thad was right, that some people deserved to die" (p.244)  it would eat him alive because like he told Thad once he did it he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

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Jamera Robinson: David Joy did a great job with giving us an idea with who the characters are and their thoughts in feelings. Throughout the book we got to see each character change in one shape of form or another. I thought it was ironic how at the church when Thad holding the gun to Samuel's temple and all he keep saying was " I'm sorry" not knowing that Thad didn't know about the rape. I like the imagery that David Joy portrays throughout the book especially how he describes the ending as Aiden sees what is left the trailer that he once called home after having nothing. I'm glad that Aiden didn't argue with taking the money from April because he deserves to finally move out of Jackson County and see that their is possibilities. April at first made me question her as a human-being being that she doesn't love her son but after learning of the rape I could totally understand. I wasn't surprise when Thad killed himself because you could tell that his sorrows was eating him alive but I wasn't expecting him to do it in the church

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Taylor Mickens @Aubree Thad confessed to Reverend Messer

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I accidently didn't but my name with it also, but I (Kisha Jackson) am the 21st person

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I agree with Kyleigh too that the structure was good and definitley kept the readers interested and curious to keep reading

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Erin Martin ^^^^^

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I agree with Olesia about Joy's use of language because it really is the best way to show the reality of their lives and their situations and circumstances.

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A part of me agrees with you (Abby) I wonder why that killed himself after he confessed his sins, but at the same time I feel as though he mentally has gone through so much that I feel as though he felt as though there was no other way out and to lift some type of weight off his shoulder he felt as though he needed to confess his sins. I am also confused as to why Aiden never left like he planned to after Thad's death..I feel as though Aiden couldn't leave yes he wanted to and he blamed his staying on Thad, but even once he was dead he still stayed. I also ask the same question as (Maria). Why does David Joy make this book so dark?  Aiden was so young and had a very traumatic experience just like April. Why does he decide to make the lives of the characters so hard? The story as a overall was pretty interesting David joy was able to grab my attention with the words he said and the crazy things that were happening. He was being realistic through the whole thing. Yes, it is harsh and all, but these are things that happen to real people I feel as though that what made this story so intriguing. We don't really think about these things, but real people face these issues they might not be as close contact as they were in this story, but they do happen.

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mine has my name at the beginning but it messed up and posted before I finished so continuing... I am glad that Joy had April leave because I think it is what the readers needed to make the book have a little light in a dark situation. Joy uses irony and foreshadowing through the novel, the way that stood out to me the most was between Aiden and Thad. "'You're not going to be able to live with this, Thad'" (132). Aiden tells Thad he won't be able to live with killing the girls and Doug but its ironic at the end when Aiden has Samuel tied up and we are left wondering if he is going to kill him or not. It also shows some foreshadowing of Aiden telling Thad and then when he ends up doing close to the same thing and maybe the same, we just aren't sure. He leaves the novel ending very questionable which I don't like because I like closure but I guess we will never know if Aiden goes to the point or where April went.

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Javin Holston. The entire book was surprising for me from beginning to end. From a mother and father being killed to eventually seeing more gruesome killings throughout the book. i really enjoyed the book because Joy use so much imagery that it made you feel like you could have been there personally and he made the reader stay on the edge of their chair throughout the story. i like the way the book was told and that it wasn't told just from one character and that we as readers were able to get in the mind of each character individually. My thought throughout the book was that we were going to see all the bad of each character just so we can eventually see all the good at the end through each of them but i knew that wasn't going to be the case when Aiden tied Samuel Mathis up and I only had two more pages to go. I just hate that i'm left with a mind of possibilities because we don't know exactly what end of taking place

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This book was just a wild ride from start to finish and we never knew what chaos lurking around the corner. i mean they went from breaking a hospital window to stripping copper, then to stealing from a drug dealer that had just shot himself, and just when you think its over Thad turns into The Punisher to get revenge, then he kills himself. -Skyler Dunning

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Maddy Pinson:  Overall I was a little surprised by the ending of the novel. I thought that since the whole novel had been about all these different conflicts that they would be resolved but that didn't necessarily happen. Thad committing suicide didn't really surprise me that much, but going to the church to confess was very surprising. I was hoping for Aiden's sake that he would leave Little Canada and go to Asheville or Hendersonville to start a better life for himself, but the circumstances surrounding him and knowing that he was just a drug addict I think he felt that he couldn't really do better for himself. I am glad that Joy had April

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Jerrick Nesbitt                                                                                                                                                               I felt like this was a good book for the most part, but there were a lot of dull moments in the book. I loved the characterization in this book. David Joy does a very good job of explain the characters to the reader and showing the differences. I wasn't expecting Thad to go and commit suicide right after talking to Pastor Mathis. I was expecting Thad to turn his life around and live a better life. I agree with Erica, I feel like Joy made the right choice for killing Thad because of all the other bad things he had done. Aiden was mentally hurt from the death of his close friend, Thad. David Joy did a great job of structuring the book and leaving the reader in suspense and with something to think about.  -Jerrick Nesbitt

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I was overall pleased with Joy's writing style in particular. He had a way of making the sequence of events flow without giving of too much information but just enough to keep us reading. If Joy could make a redemption book telling how Aiden is doing after going these catastrophic events, i would definitely read it. Joy also leaves off alot of minor characters who have been mentioned in the book. In the last few chapters where he is finishing up he never talks about these small characters. Did they ever find Waynes body? ERIN MARTIN

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I thought it was cool that the book was left unfinished. I think it was meant to show that we don't really know the people even though we read a whole book about them. I liked how Aiden still stuck up for April even though she left him. My thought through the whole book was, are we suppose to know why these bad things keeping happening to the three characters. I hate how Thad committed suicide because I felt bad for him even though I kind of hated him before. Lauren Steadman

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In David Joy’s preface event he said he wanted this book to about the study of trauma. Overall, I think that he definitely achieved his purpose. He started and ended this book with trauma. All of the characters in this book suffer from some sort of trauma and they all have their own ways of dealing with this trauma. Thad and Aiden deal with their pain by drugs and April chooses to deal with her pain by leaving it all behind and walking away. I like the end of this book because I feel like that was the only way for this book to end. If Thad hadn’t had died Aiden would have never left and went to Asheville. Aiden has a fresh start by moving to Asheville and starting a new life. He shows the reader what it’s like to grow up around poverty and addiction and what it’s like to live in it. --Miah Threatt

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Maria Eubanks:                                                                                                                                            I agree with Abby. I really did love the imagery. You could really feel/see every big event that happened within the novel. But yes it did get a little disturbing at times like Wayne's death, "He pulled the trigger and the far side of  his face blew off. A thrash of blood, chunks like grayed hamburger, let loose across the room" (50). I mean yeah that part was disturbing but Joy gave me a very detailed picture in my head when I read it because of his imagery. I also agree with Olesia, this book was in no way predictable. Throughout the whole book I was thinking how could it get any worse and every time Joy brought some new sadness into the story. I just keep wondering why this whole book was so dark? I mean it was heartbreak after heartbreak like in every chapter. Also in the end why'd he have to kill off Thad? I definitely did not like the ending. Also I'm still kind of hoping that Aiden doesn't kill Samuel Mathis because I don't want Aiden to become a murderer because he has been my favorite character. I can't help but to feel the worst for Aiden. From the beginning his life has been bad. I mean the death of his parents and everything in between up the point of losing his best friend who was like the only piece of family he had and also losing the woman he loved when she moved away. Will life ever get better for Aiden? I think I need a second book.

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The imagery in this book was my favorite. It had me grossed out at some part but it opened up a window for all of us to get to see how their lives were because most of us probably couldn't relate as much. I want to know why David Joy wrote that Thad went to the church and it looked like he was going to do better...but then he commits suicide? Abby Smart

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I think this book was very good overall but there was a lot of times where I thought to myself "Why did this happen"? Especially at the end when Thad decides to take his own life after talking to the pastor. Why would he do this just because he got mad that the door hit him in the back which caused him to get in a fight when he was standing talking to the pastor about to change his whole life? I thought maybe him talking to him would make him a better person and he would change. I agree with what Erica said I this would be a book that I would read on my own time because it sounds interesting just from reading the back cover of it.The structure of the book was really good and it always kept you interested from one chapter to the next. - Kyleigh Jones

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I think the author knew it was too late for Thad after all he had done. So it made more sense that Thad died instead of April or Aiden, even though I think Aiden is pretty hurt from the way his friend ended up. I still think it was good of Thad to do right by his name at the church before he killed himself. --Anthony Vaccaro

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The ending left a lot to be misunderstood in my opinion. Even though Joy had his reasoning for ending it this way, it left a lot up to the imagination for the reader. Joy was right in his choice to kill off Thad because it made the most sense. It was only right for April and Thad to go on, although this being said the death of Thad really took a toll on Aiden mentally. I would give the book an overall 8.5/10. It was entertaining and eye opening but predictable. Would this be something I pick up on my own time and read? Likely. The way Joy structured the book was impressive, it told the perfect story with so much destruction but flowed so smooth. The frustrating part about the book though is that you are introduced to so much within the book that the ending leaves you feeling abandoned. Like you want more. This is not all together a negative though because Joy gives you the opportunity to make up the other half of the story if you choose to do so. So I have to give it to Joy that I am very impressed with his ability to tell a story that has the reader so enthralled within the story. It was an enjoyable book. ERICA JONES.

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why do you think the author chose to end the book this way? Why did the author choose to kill Thad instead of April or Aiden? I thought it was interesting how before thad committed suicide that he went to the church and confessed his sins to pastor Mathis. I also thought it was interesting how Aiden never left the town even though at the beginning of the book his plan was to leave but he was the only one who ended up staying. The plot and structure of the book was pretty predictable, normally dark novels tend to end with more than one death. I assumed one of the three of them would end up killing themselves. The ending of the book i thought was odd because you don't truly know whats going to happen to either Aiden or Mathis or where April went. A lot of the book is left unfinished. I think the author chose to do the ending like this to make it your own interpretation of what happens to the characters.  Aubree Pound

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Use this space to discuss the Preface Text as a whole. Be sure to include your own questions, conclusions and comments with respect to specific elements of the book, then respond to others.