“Ever since Pa hit him in the head with the two-by-four, Earl had lived with blinders.”

If you can read that opening line and not be curious about what comes after it, check your pulse, because there’s a good chance you are already dead. As for me, I was drawn to it immediately, and I thank Net Galley and Matador Publishing for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

When we meet Earl, the year is 1921 (although occasionally, we skip forward to 1970.) Earl is in the courthouse watching his father’s trial:

‘I di’nt fornicate with no donkey. Es ist eine dirty lie!’ From the back of the darkly paneled room, he feels his pa’s rage like a ground tremor rippling its way through the crowd the crowd to the spot where he sits, surrounded by family. Well, except for Rose. She’s up front in a special seat…
‘And what about the other charge, Mr. Hahn? Is it true your daughter, Rose, is carrying your child?’

Boom. So right in the first chapter, you can plainly see that if you are someone that needs to know about triggers before reading a novel, this may not be your book. And that’s a shame, because the quality of the writing is phenomenal, from the riveting opening line, all the way to the last.

Earl’s pa does, in fact, go to jail; even if he wasn’t guilty as sin (and of it,) which he clearly is, everyone in town hates him with an abiding passion, most of all his wife and ten children. “There wasn’t a man within a hundred miles of Sampson County who would stand up for Reinhardt Hahn.”

It is unusual for me to include so many quotes in a review, but as you can see, the writing is so clear, strong, and resonant that I cannot do it justice any other way.

As the title and first line suggest, the story is Earl’s, and we follow him through the remainder of his childhood and adolescence. At its end, I am thunderstruck when I read the author’s note explaining that the whole story is based on the truth. Earl was her grandmother’s brother; Reinhardt Hahn, or “Pa,” was her great-grandfather.
Friends, this is easily one of the best novels to come out of 2022, and I am convinced that the only reason it isn’t parked on the New York Times bestseller list is because it was self-published, and therefore it didn’t receive the kind of publicity that a major publisher could have provided.

I won’t say more; to do that, I’d have to fish out some more quotes, and they are even better when read in context. Highly recommended; D.S. Getson is an author to watch.

I knew from the first page I was reading something very special. Earl immediately cast his spell over me and engaged all my emotions. This is a novel, based on real events, in my opinion, in a class of its own.
This is the unforgettable story of Earl and his family and the tragedies which stole his youth in the 1920s. As I read the story made me weep and at times I had to put the book down the sorrow was so completely overpowering. And yet this is a book I never wanted to end. It is a testament to friendship, love and resilience. A masterpiece.

Earl, Honey was such a beautiful yet heartbreaking story. Told from the point of view of Earl, who is slow, we explore the intricacies of a family dominated by an abusive patriarch. Earl unfortunately gets the brunt of the abuse. There are some triggering and tough issues in this book, but that aside it was an absolutely wonderful read. .

This book was a painful and raw look at a childhood plagued by violence and incest. I had a hard time finishing it.

Set in the 1920s American South, Earl, Honey is filled with heartache and sadness. Earl Hahn is trying to navigate a world where everything is a struggle and everyone he loves leaves. Somehow, in the end, there is hope for better.

To realize that this story is based on the real-life events of the author’s family members makes the suffering and eventual calm even more powerful.

Ever since Earl Hahn’s father hit him in the head with a two-by-four when he was just a child, he has trouble remembering things and he is pretty slow picking up on things around him. That's just one of the ways Earl's father hurts the members of his family.
See, Earl's father is on trial for beastiality and for getting his own daughter pregnant. These are just some of the horrible acts that he performs on his own children and wife, the mother of his children. Earl's father is sent to jail and finally the house is a nice place to be until one day there's a huge accident and the kids are put into the foster system. Will this family ever catch a break?

This book was hard to read. Going into it, I knew it was based on a true story so it really hurt me to know that some of these terrible things happened to real people. I felt such empathy for Earl, his siblings, and for Earl's mother, they didn't deserve the life they were handed. I know the world can be a terrible, sometimes unforgiving place but I like Lucy's outlook… that she's using up all her bad times to make way for the good. I really hope she got her happily ever after, her and Earl deserve that.

I cried with this book, real tears. I felt for this family and after reading some of their story, I hope they got some happiness from life after all the hell they were put through, they deserve it. I smiled with Earl, he's so sweet and loveable. I just want the best for all of them.

Earl, Honey is the story of Earl Hahn who was hit upside the head with a two-by-four by his dad and has been a little slower since then. Every night he asks his mom "Am I safe?" because his dad is so violent and when his dad is finally put in prison for poisoning the neighbor's well and impregnating his daughter, Earl's mother can finally say "Yes". Unfortunately, everything changes. As Earl bounces from home to home, job to job, he learns what it is to be a hard worker and his head injury becomes a thing of the past.

This book made me feel so sad. I felt horrible for Earl for everything he endured and how much his life had changed when his dad hit him in the head. It made me wonder who Earl had been if that didn't happen. Would he have grown up to be like his dad? Would he have hurt his sisters? Would he have become the man of the house? There's so much that we don't know. With that said, I'm happy for Earl in the end and I'm glad he learned what it meant to be loved and cared for.

Thank you NetGalley and Matador for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Earl's story is so heartbreaking but brings to light that even after unimaginable personal struggles one can find hope and endure. Earl suffers "thickness in the brain" after his father hits him with a 2x4 and he's never quite the same. When his father is sent to prison after being found guilty for incest, Earl and his family start to believe their lives will be easier, but the family remains poor and the after affects of his father's crimes linger. Tragedy strikes and Earl and his siblings take different paths to survive. This is a wonderful coming-of-age story based loosely on a true family event that will have you rooting for kindness and redemption.

A sweet, sad story. Earl is an innocent who loves his family dearly, but due to a brain injury from his cruel father, is unable to help and protect them as much as he wants. Abuse abounds in this book; some parts, though written gently as seen through Earl’s naive, uncomprehending point of view, were difficult to read. At times the story was a little too meandering, causing me to start losing interest, but not enough to put it down. I also thought it was confusing how the story started off with Earl in his old age, then switched to young Earl, and never returned to old Earl. I would have loved to hear more about Earl’s later years, especially since we know that he is still friends with Harold, and that his beloved sister Lucy is still living as well. Bookending the story with one more “old Earl” chapter at the end would have made it feel more finished.

Earl, Honey is the sound of a southern mama calling her son or simply talking softly to him.
D. S. Getson has written the traumatic, yet tender hearted story of Earl Hamns’ coming of age during hard times in rural North Carolina
When a lot of fathers were hard fisted alcoholics that took their anger out on their wife and children.
Earl, Honey is written with the stark reminders of those days. How the days were long and hard and the people you loved the most could be gone in a minute.
Brilliant storyline, but moved to slowly for me at times.
The ending is brilliant.

I often find that the books I enjoy the most are the hardest to review. I'm afraid of giving away too much but I want to express how the book left an impression on me. This is the case with Earl, Honey.

When Earl was a young boy, his father hit him on the side of the head with a board, intentionally. This resulted in what was likely a concussion and some brain damage. Earl was intellectually challenged from that young age. This is a story about Earl.

The story takes place in the 1920s. The father was a German immigrant, he had an evil mind and had no capability of showing love or understanding for his family.

We follow Earl through several life-altering tragedies. While he is simple minded, Earl is intuitive. He sees things and understands more than most people realize. And, sometimes, even more than he, himself realizes. The author created a wonderful character in Earl. Earl is kind, he loves his little sister, he wants to do the proper things.

Much of Earl's story is heartbreaking. But, the story runs the whole circle from the most evil events to the genuine kindness that exists in this world.

It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The ending lets the reader know there is hope for the future. And, I have to admit that I might have shed a tear.

I appreciate that the author lets the reader know that Earl's story is based on events that occurred in his family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Readers Copy.

Lovable characters, despicable characters, loss and hope…all based on true events from the author’s family history. This was a fast read…not because it was light, but because you quickly care about Earl and can’t look away from his trainwreck of a life.

This was an okay book. The book started out near the current timeline, so I wished that the story would have gone back and forth between the past and present. I was also a little sad that the author did not come back to the present in order to wrap up the book.

This is one of my favourite books that I have read lately, I really enjoyed it, although it did make me cry.
It had me hooked right from the beginning and kept me that way pretty much all the way through.
Earl Hann, our main character experiences so much hardship and tragedy in his younger life it was heartbreaking to read, so the first few pages are not a comfortable read at all.
Earl’s father hit him on the head with a piece of 2 by 4 which undoubtedly left Earl with some brain damage. He seems a bit slower than the other kids and doesn’t necessarily interpret things the way they are intended. But it is amazing what strength the human spirit holds, as you will find out when you read the book, which I highly recommend that you do.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

D.S. Getson's Earl, Honey is one of THE best books of the year! A breathtaking story of overcoming seemingly immeasurable odds to gain strength, love, and happiness.

Earl Hahn has suffered great abuse at the hands of his father. Earl, his mother and siblings are relieved when his father is sent to prison for his heinous acts of violence. Surviving on their own with very little, the family gets by, until an unspeakable tragedy strikes that will change the trajectory of Earl and his little sister Lucy's life.

A moving story about the determination of human spirit, hardship, acceptance and forgiveness that will linger with you long after reading. Be sure to read the authors note at the end for more insight into the story.

NetGalley and Troubador Publishing allowed me to read and review this book voluntarily.

This book was so sad and from the very first sentence I knew that this was one that would pull on every heart string. Our main character is a young man named Earl and he has a lot of disadvantages thrown at him. For starters he is a little simple after has father abused him by hitting him over the head with a a two by four. This leaves poor earl struggling to make connections that other people make easily. When Earl's father gets charged with incest, the whole family feels like justice has been served and they are one their way to redemption however it isn't only the father who must pay for his crimes the entire family is forced by society to pay as well. While this alone would be a hard pill to swallow the book takes place in the South in the 1920s so things are even more treacherous and hard. When Earl accidentally shoots his mother is turns the whole family on an axis and ends everything that he has once knows. One of the things I liked the most about this book was while it was written with a disabled main character it was written through a third persons point of view. This made it much easier for the reader to actually see what was happening at times when Earl is unable to fully comprehend what is going on before him. I loved this book and even though it was very sad at lots of parts the characters were very well written and the plot was one that really pulled you in and had you thinking about how something so terrible can happen to such innocent people. I loved the way that the author took what could have been a very dark and depressing story and made it more on the lighter side but just as believable and realistic as possible. This was an amazing read and I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it. The only down side was I found myself unable to put this book down and was quite sad when it finished. I can't wait until this books comes out and the world gets to experience this pieces of literary genius.

EARL HAHN is slow and takes a while to understand especially taking conversation literally. His father hit him on the head with a 2x4 piece of pine, he’s struggled with a “thickness in his brain.” It takes him longer to make the connections others arrive at easily. When his father is prosecuted for the crime of incest, it feels like deliverance for Earl, his mother Lizzie Belle, and the entire Hahn family. Unfortunately, everyone in the household will pay for their patriarch’s crimes – no one more than Earl.

As a shy, damaged boy he must overcome unimaginable personal tragedy – both as its victim and its perpetrator. Raw, honest, and filled with heart, Earl, Honey recounts an extraordinary search for redemption amid the perilous world of the 1920s American South.

I absolutely loved this book. I must admit that the first few pages were difficult and emotional to read. But it was SO worth it. I can't remember enjoying a book so much. It made me laugh and cry. I didnot want the book to end and was so engrossed that I could not put it down, This surely will become a classic and I am in awe that it was based on true family events.
Thank you so much to Netgallery for my copy in return for an unbiased review.

--I have received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are purely my own and not influenced in any way.--

This is one of those books where I really had to think about how exactly I felt about it and how exactly to review it because there was something about it that just didn't quite click with me like it did and will do with others. The pacing is a bit strange at times, such as starting the book with an adult Earl in the 1970s before switching to a thirteen year old Earl in the 1920s. All right, that's a pretty common framing device in historical fiction books, except future Earl is NEVER revisited ever again. It felt out of place, like it should've been an epilogue or like we should have had another scene with him to bookend the story. Equally, we start right off at the trial of Earl's father, which will shape most of Earl's summer along with another tragic event that will make this perhaps the most turbulent summer of his life. I like books that get straight to the point, but personally, I wish we had seen more of Earl's family life before his father was taken away so we would be able to see how the family functioned, what the siblings' relationships were like, and even how their relationships with their parents were as opposed to being told what it was like before. Show don't tell, essentially. That said, I do get it: the trial involves child rape and the impregnation of his own daughter. I understand not wanting to dwell on that or get into the nitty-gritty of it nor would I want to read it, but the trial seemed to happen a bit too early for it to have as big of an impact as it could have. This book is a bit of a slow burn as it meanders from place to place, plot point to plot point, before picking up with Earl making a grave mistake with far reaching consequences that permanently splinters his already badly deteriorated family. And after that chapter is over, it's back to slowly meandering from one plot point to the next, one place to the other.

I know it seems like I disliked this book, but I really didn't: I just found it kind of slow and in some cases directionless. Barring his fatal error, things just kind of happen to Earl, which I THINK was intentional to show how powerless he was in his situation and how helpless he felt he was, but after a while you just wanted to shake him and tell him to "DO SOMETHING" (a sentiment echoed throughout the book by other characters, interestingly enough). One thing I will absolutely give this book is that there are a TON of really strong, interesting female characters. His sister Lucy was amazing and absolutely unyielding at only seven years old, Earl's mother was a very quietly strong woman just trying to keep her family together, and I loved Mrs. Phipps. Therein I think was my problem with the book overall: I just did not find Earl interesting. I think if this book were in Lucy's perspective, Earl actually would have been an interesting character because her story alone was quite tragic and heartbreaking and we would get to see him as the person she saw him as: a lovable boy who just wants to keep his last remaining family intact. Though that sentiment wasn't quite lost in the book we got, Earl would actually have to SHOW how he plans to keep them intact as opposed to him just TELLING us that's what he intended to do.

Overall, to me, this book is just kind of okay. There's some great characters, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, and the book is really not afraid to go in dark places. That said, the book tends to suffer from telling rather than showing and our main character just wasn't all that interesting in comparison to some of the other characters introduced in this book. I truly do think I'm going to be in the minority here and I absolutely see why people will like it, and if you do, good for you! I think this one is just not really my cup of tea. If you think it sounds interesting, absolutely give it a try: just because it didn't quite work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you.

When Earl Hahn accidentally shot his mother it ended all the safety he had ever known in his life. Prior to that before his papa went to jail for impregnating his sister Rosie he was physically and verbally abused. It was because his papa hit him in the head with a shovel that caused people to think of him as “simple.“ Earl is a good boy and all he wants is to be safe and to be with her sister Lucy, but first he will have to revisit more frightening abuse and then maybe just maybe he can feel safety again. This book was so so so so so good! I could read books about crime and not cry, but I have never cried with a book and did happily and I did with Earl, honey. I even cried at the happy ending. I wish I could invent more social media sites so I could put this book on there and this book was so good and I mean IT WAS SO FREAKING GOOD! I highly recommend this book I gave it five stars and it definitely deserves all of them. If you love historical fiction and happy endings you need to read this book. I absolutely loved it!