I will never forget my friend Dick Wingo from Georgia. "Jamie," he told me, "don't be fooled. People think us southern boys are simple because we spend so much time out in the woods hunting and fishing. But all that time behind a rod and reel gives us plenty of time to think."
Nowhere is this more evident than in literature. Writers from the American South have a way of telling stories that is unique to their cultural idiom. Go as far back as Thomas Jefferson and you'll hear it -- a kind of rolling cadence to the language, a narrative hospitality that invites you to explore a written world as intimate as someone's favorite fishing hole or hiking trail. As a Canadian, I fell in love with such prose by reading Harper Lee, Charles Frazier and Caitlin R. Kiernan. And so I was delighted to discover Sean T. Smith.
You see, at some point when I wasn't paying attention, post-apocalyptic fiction became a bona-fide genre. I can't claim to be an authority on that (or any) literary form and so can't say where Smith's novel OBJECTS OF WRATH stands in comparison to other books of its kind; I simply haven't read the genre deeply enough. As such, I approached Smith's novel simply as Southern literature. And I was not disappointed.
William, the protagonist, is in his early teens when an apocalyptic war termed 'the Fall' devastates Mankind. But rather than ennumerate a chain of events, William confronts the tragedy in entirely human terms. Not long before the Fall, he shoots his first deer.
"Good shot," Dad said in a husky voice. "You hit him in the heart."
I expected him to be visibly happy but instead he had a tear in his own eye. He gave me a slight smile and nod and I think he knew exactly what had been going through my head. I think he did not REALLY want me to shoot, knew that I would not, and that I had made a mistake. But we never discussed it. If the world had been sane, I probably would have never intentionally killed anything ever again.
Author Smith opens a door and ushers us into a wasteland many other writers fill with interesting - but ultimately linear - adventures. OBJECTS OF WRATH's strength lies in its cast of compelling characters, particularly one family that will stand against the darkness and fight to bring their nation back to life. Let me be clear: this is not a novel about devastation and darkness. It is a novel about about courage and hope.
Family is a mainstay in the work of many Southern writers, and Smith's novel is no exception. With pitch-perfect realism, he portrays the Fox clan, a Southern military family that anyone familiar with the subculture will instantly recognize. On the eve of war William's father, a combat veteran, packs wife and son off to the family farm in Tennessee run by the clan patriarch, a retired military officer called the Colonel (- every good Southern novel needs a colonel). At the Tennessee state line, a group of Special Forces soldiers go against orders by sharing gas and food with the family and allowing them to pass, only to turn up later, along with a host of other lost servicemen and -women, on the Colonel's doorstep. With both coasts nuked and the nation's government in ruins - and, in the absence of coherent command and control - these soldiers fall back on their instincts and training and that most basic military virtue: loyalty. Word passes among the orphaned servicemen and -women of the region, many of whom served with the Colonel. Magnolia, the Fox family farm, becomes Firebase Magnolia and the fight to rebuild civilization begins.
So often in modern times we find ourselves supporting the troops while questioning the uses to which they are put. Smith seems aware of and sympathetic to this dilemma and so presents a world pleasantly bereft of politicians; American military personnel alone dictate both the mission and the moral issues at play. Where many post-apocalyptic stories take place over a very limited duration in time, OBJECTS OF WRATH has scope. William grows from boy to man, falls in love, becomes a soldier himself and watches the process of nation (re-)building unfold. America is remembered and yearned for; the promise of its resurrection is the unspoken, feverish hope that lurks in every corner of the story. And yet Smith's is neither a dim nor dogmatic patriotism. Safety and freedom are borne of sacrifice and all that matters at Magnolia is the work. Slowly, communities form and begin communicating. William participates in missions to obtain food, share resources and establish alliances. We learn that Magnolia is not alone, thank goodness. But unfortunately, not all survivors are good.
This is where the real meat of the novel resides and where Smith's excellence as a story-teller is showcased. His devastated America is not a monochromatic chasm like that depicted in THE ROAD, but a darkly beautiful pageant of people and places. On a mission into the backwoods of Alabama, a fire-team from Magnolia encounters an enclave of white supremecists who would sooner let their children die than accept help from the team's black doctor. A trip to a devastated Nashville includes a recon of its famed country music museum where survivors burned guitars to stay warm. And a dinner party onboard the USS Ronald Reagan, now permanently docked and powering a town on the Mississippi via its nuclear reactor, sets the stage for a chilling meeting with a mad American admiral from whom the team narrowly escapes alive.
Smith has a talent for dialogue, a deep understanding of his subject matter, affection for his characters and real respect for his readers. There are no throw-away scenes in this novel. I found myself abandoning other reading (and WEEDS, Season Four, mid-stream) to find out what happens next. Hard to put down? OBJECTS OF WRATH provides an immersion into a compelling world with a damaged - but ultimately very human - center. If I have one criticism of the novel it's that it gives female characters short shrift. Smith's women characters are well drawn, but never onstage long enough. I hope to see him extend his range in future novels and feature some substantive female protagonists. I would love to see what he does with them.
OBJECTS OF WRATH is the first in a trilogy from Permuted Press, noted for its zombie and survivalist offerings (and recently reinvigorated under new management). I look forward to continuing this fascinating adventure with the Fox family and am pleased to recommend OBJECTS OF WRATH to friends and readers alike. The novel does everything a good book is supposed to do. OBJECTS OF WRATH will rock your world. Your heart will feel the tremors.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
All 3 for you in this series
See full series
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
