The Caretaker is Gant Blackburn, a young man whose face has been disfigured by polio. Bullied at school and stared at and muttered about by the townsfolk, he left school early to take on the job of looking after the cemetery In Blowing Rock NC, living at a cottage next to it where he would encounter few people. His best friend, Jacob Hampton who sees the kind heart beyond Gant’s disfigurement is from a wealthy family, but has been disinherited by his family when he eloped and married 16 year Naomi, an uneducated hotel maid from a poor family. When Jacob is drafted in 1951 to serve in the Korean war, he asks Gant to look out for Naomi, who is expecting their child.

This is a beautifully written tale of love, loss and the power of friendship. When Jacob is badly injured in Korea and sent home, his parents form an evil and despicable plot to keep him and Naomi apart. It’s a very moving story with characters we can really feel for. Gant’s big heart and his love for both Jacob and Naomi will test him as he grapples with what he learns and which path he should choose. The setting of a small town in 1950s Appalachia is well done with the cemetery forming a central place where Gant cares for the dead. A short but beautifully formed, emotional read that many readers will love.

"The Caretaker" is a book set in a small town in America during the 1950s and the Korean War. When I started reading it, I thought it was going to be mostly about the character that it starts with - Jacob, who is fighting in the war and is reminiscing about his time at home with his young wife, Naomi. But it switches between various different characters and the reader gradually finds out more about Jacob's parents and the lengths they go to to keep him "safe," about Naomi's background and how much she loves Jacob and, crucially, Blackburn, the caretaker of the local cemetery, who is best friends with Jacob from childhood when Jacob was the only boy who spent time with Blackburn whose face is disfigured by a childhood illness.

I feel that the story is mostly about Jacob and Naomi but from Blackburn's (and other people's) point of view. I absolutely loved his character and if the author decided to write a further book about his story, that would be something I would want to read.

And on that note, my only criticism of the book is that it ended! I think it's always a good sign if you get to the end of the book and want to know more about what happens to the characters. This is exactly how I felt about "The Caretaker." It's a story told with love and such skill and I found it very difficult to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The Caretaker is the eighth novel by award-winning, best-selling American poet and author, Ron Rash. The loss of two infant daughters made Cora Hampton overprotective of her only son, Jacob, when he finally came. Cora and Daniel Hampton were people of wealth and influence in Laurel Fork, Watauga County, North Carolina. Daniel inherited the timber mill and together they bought the General Store, but folk said they were hard-working and decent, often helping those worse off.

But Jacob was heartily sick of the way they controlled his life: when he fell for sixteen-year-old Naomi Clarke outside the Yonahlossee cinema in Blowing Rock, and his parents disapproved, they eloped. Daniel’s threat to disinherit his son if they didn’t annul their marriage had no effect. Soon enough, they were proving they could make their own way.

When Jacob was conscripted to fight in Korea, he hoped that the prospect of a grandchild, the baby Naomi was expecting in May, would soften his father’s stance, but was disappointed. Risking his life in Korea was all Naomi’s fault: had he stayed in college, he would have been exempt, Daniel declared. So Jacob turned to his best friend, Blackburn.

Blackburn Gant had been the caretaker at the town’s cemetery since he was sixteen, a job that suited a man with a facial disfigurement that made people uncomfortable. He took good care of Naomi: chores, maintenance of the farmhouse, and company. Then, a certain nasty incident in town, the day before she went home to her Daddy’s farm near Pulaski, Tennessee. But he continued to visit, driving seven hours each way to bring gifts and chat.

The plan that Cora had for her son didn’t include his marrying a poor, uneducated hotel maid, so when the news came by telegram to Laurel Fork that Jacob had been seriously injured and would come home in early June, Cora saw it as an opportunity to bring her beloved son back to the fold. She hatched an audacious plan that relied on Hampton money and influence, threats, blackmail, and quite a number of lies. “There were so many lies to keep straight and more would come. Like a long line of boxcars on a steep grade, just one unhitched could cause disaster.”

Much more can’t be said without spoilers, but Cora’s scheme will have readers’ jaws dropping; it would never work in today’s ultra-connected world but, set in 1951, it requires no suspension of disbelief. Even though some breathtakingly nasty stuff happens, Rash doesn’t populate his novel with evil villains, just ordinary, flawed humans living their lives.

His characters observe: “Learning people were so much more than you thought, wasn’t that also part of no longer being a child?” and “But to love a person enough that you’d want them to love someone else instead of you . . . that’s hard.”
“Maybe it ain’t about having to make a choice which person you love,” Blackburn said. “Maybe a heart’s big enough to hold both.”

Rash challenges his characters realistically, but also gives some of them the insight and wisdom and steadfastness to meet what they must. Blackburn, he especially tests with a strong temptation: does he yield, or does he remain a true friend?

As his fans have come to expect, Rash gives the reader some gorgeous descriptive prose: “This time of day everything grew still, as if the world was holding its breath until the night fell” and “the fog began to unscarf itself” are examples. This is beautifully-written, brilliantly-plotted historical fiction: highly recommended.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Canongate books.

A touching story, very well told. Set in 1950s small town America, the caretaker is Blackburn Gant who takes care of the local cemetery but also of his dear friends - Jacob, who is fighting in Korea, and Jacob's pregnant young wife Naomi, left behind. Jacob's parents fiercely opposed the marriage and they are determined to reshape Jacob's life when he returns. The characters are very well drawn: their behaviour and the prejudices which often inform it reflect vividly the social norms of the time.
This is the first work of Ron Rash that I have read, I look forward to reading more.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this story. Beautiful, heartbreaking, atmospheric. Wonderfully developed and sometimes complex characters. This was my first read by this author but will definitely keep an eye out for future offerings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The Caretaker
by Ron Rash

I was completely unaware of Ron Rash's literary reputation when I chose this book and OK, I'll admit it was the cover that first drew my attention, but take a look, isn't there something so alluring about this image?

A disinherited son and a shattering act of deception was all I needed to know, I just knew this was going to be a good one, and I'm thrilled to say, it absolutely is.

I wasn't prepared for Rash's understated prose and finely-drawn characters. There's nothing shouty about his writing, it's so subtle but as sharp as a scalpel.

The deception is monumental, it's devastating and although it would feel like such a stretch in today's world, Rash reconstructs that 1950s mindset where social standing and respectability trump all else, where a few hours down the road may as well have been the other side of the world, where a carefully constructed lie could very well have been left undiscovered.

He creates a compelling narrative that leaves me feeling as compassionate for the lie makers as for the deceived, given the stakes and the time period. The things we do in the name of love.

A beautifully told story about love in all it's forms, family bonds, friendship and romance, but the greatest takeaway for me is the treatise on loyalty.

Publication date: 2nd November 2023
Thanks to #NetGalley and #canongatebooks for the ARC

#bookreview #irishbookstagram
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The Caretaker is with out a doubt, a MUST read! It’s a beautiful and poignant tale that weaves the themes of love and jealousy, against the backdrop of a war. The characters are all wonderfully distinct resulting in a lovely, compelling, true gem a read.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great read. Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book.

This story unfolds to reveal friendship, deceit and both conditional and unconditional love. Beautifully written, it draws you in, page after page. Ron Rash is a great storyteller.

Rich-kid Jack and wrong-side-of-the-tracks Naomi are in love. Disinherited by his parents, they elope. When Jack is conscripted to fight in Korea, he turns to friend Blackburn to take care of Naomi.

Set in the rural Appalachians, this well-crafted novel has the feel of a Shakespearean tragedy.

Rash’s writing has a beautiful rhythm, and he has a fine eye for the natural world.

This is my first encounter with this author, but you can be sure I will be checking out his back catalogue.

My thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for the ARC.

What a wonderful and emotional read. Set in a small town, Blowing Rock, North Carolina, starting in 1951, this is a story of how love can overcome the greatest of trials. It’s not a long book but what it is is a beautifully crafted story centred around three people; wealthy Jacob Lampton, poor Naomi Clare and the star of the book for me Blackburn Gant. Gant is a kind man despite the fact that the world hasn’t been kind to him. Contacting polio as a child he has been left disfigured and with a limp and works at the church digging graves and caretaking the church and grounds.

Briefly, when Jacob meets Naomi it is love at first sight but both of their families are not happy and Jacob is disinherited. They marry and shortly afterwards Jacob is called up to fight in the Korean War, leaving his young, pregnant wife behind. His friend Gant promises to look after Naomi. But when Jacob’s family find out he has been injured, and he’s being repatriated, they do a terrible thing…

This was virtually a one sitting book for me, apart from stopping to eat, and make cups of tea! It was a wonderful story that seem to me reminiscent of classic American literature of that period. Beautifully paced, this was packed full of emotions; love and hate, joy and sadness, good and bad, and a beautiful relationship between the two main male characters. I can’t say anymore without spoilers but suffice it to say I’ll definitely be looking into this authors back catalogue.

The Caretaker reads like a classic literary mid-century American novel, so much so that it’s almost hard to believe it’s a new release (it will be published on 2 November). While it’s set in 1951, the writing has a timeless quality to it. I can see a dusty paperback edition of this book on my shelf for a long time to come.

When Jacob Hampton is conscripted to serve in the Korean War, leaving his young pregnant bride Naomi behind in his hometown of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, he enlists his best friend Blackburn to take care of Naomi in his absence. Naomi, poor and uneducated, and ostracised by the Hampton family and by the wider community, forms a close friendship with Blackburn until news arrives that changes everything.

This quiet novel packs a punch; stunning prose (especially when detailing the change in seasons), razor-sharp precision in conveying emotion through relatively few words and an overarching feeling of humanity that permeates the book. It’s not a fast-paced novel but it was difficult to put down at times, such is the unbearable tension in the story. I wanted to savour the writing, but felt compelled to pick it up at every opportunity.

I absolutely loved the plot, the setting, the writing, the storytelling, the characters - everything. It’s rare I say this but it was pretty perfect. I had that same feeling as when I read Clare Keegan, Annie Proulx, John Williams or William Maxwell - that you’re reading a master of literary fiction.

I hadn’t read anything by Ron Rash before reading The Caretaker, but I’m off to find his back catalogue. This is right up there with my favourites this year and one I think I’ll buy for my Dad for Christmas. Exquisite. 5/5⭐️

*The Caretaker will be published on 2 November. I read an advance copy on @netgalley thanks to the publisher @canongatebooks. As always, this is an honest review.*

This book was recommended to me (and a wider group of Booker longlist survival victims) by jcgreens_reads from Bookstagram.as a thoroughly solid, carefully crafted and deeply enjoyable read after all of the debates over the merits of the longlist and shortlist choices.

The opening chapter has Jacob Hampton on guard duty by a frozen river in the Korean War, terrified but reflecting on his wife Naomi back in North Carolina, four months pregnant when he was conscripted, and how, in light of the implacable hostility of his parents who opposed his marriage, how he had to rely on a similarly aged friend Blackburn (a caretaker at the local graveyard) to look after her. He is attacked by a North Korean who he manages to kill after a fierce struggle and only the thought of Naomi and his soon-to-be-born baby prevents him immediately succumbing to his own serious wounds and the all-enveloping cold, although he falls into unconsciousness.

Returning to Jacob’s home town, we see that Blackburn (part crippled and with a distorted face due to a polio attack when he was younger) has grown close to Naomi. She insists on them visiting the cinema in the local town, where she is still looked down on as a common but failed – Jacob was disinherited - golddigger for luring away the only surviving child of the Hampton family. A resulting confrontation with Jacob’s dad leads Naomi to flee the town (and the small house she and Jacob have been doing up on their limited funds) leads her to travel back to her widowed and rather bitter father’s farm.

When a telegram comes for Naomi telling of Jacob’s fate in the war, the local telegram master (with the same loyalties as the rest of the town) compromises his legal duty by taking it first to Jacob’s parents, who see it as an opportunity to for a plot whose repercussions then reverberate among all of the protagonists for the remainder of the novel.

I found this overall a very impressive novel and everything it was billed to be. It starts as something of a war adventure, takes a brief turn into psychological thriller before settling down into its real purpose and strength as a profound interior study of love and loyalty.

The characters are all drawn really well – the author is I feel particularly strong at drawing out internal and external conflict and mixed motifs across all of them. From the eponymous hero of the book (Blackburn), to the apparent villains (Jacob’s parents) all the characters are presented in a way which helps us to see both the past hurts that lead to some of their decisions and the dilemmas that they face over their future actions.

So for example at the same time we – and other characters - see Naomi as more thoughtful and far more in love with Jacob than her reputation allows, we also know that her first reaction on Jacob’s proposal was to boast of the dresses she could buy and money she could spend. And Blackburn very much a sympathetic victim and loyal friend, has his own gentleness broken under provocation and starts to query whether his own previous lack of violence was more due to circumstance than character. And with Jacob’s parents we have to place their seemingly terrible actions against their quiet but life-saving generosity during the Great Depression, and their tragedy with their two daughters struck down with flu.

The writing is also very strong – in particular the changing seasons at the graveyard as seen in the sections where Blackburn is the main protagonist, and the way that he legendary Ghost Lights of North Carolina are integrated in to the text is well done (and as importantly not over-laboured).

Recommended – I think this will appeal to fans of books like “Zorrie”.

I got really involved in the setting and characters in this book from the beginning and found myself eager to get back to reading which is always a good sign in a novel.

It starts in 1951 when Jacob Hampton is drafted to fight in the Korean War. Naomi, who he has recently married when she was only 16, is pregnant and so Jacob asks his good friend, Blackburn Gant, to look out for Naomi until he returns from war. Jacob cannot rely on his parents to look after Naomi as they have disinherited him as they regard Naomi to be from a lower social class and think she is only interested in Jacob’s wealth.

Blackburn, one of life’s loners, has the job of caretaker at the local cemetery in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Blackburn is very diligent in his task and regularly visits Naomi, even becoming rather attached to her.

Meanwhile, Jacob is in a very dangerous situation in Korea and ends up in hand-to-hand combat with a North Korean solider.

Jacob’s parents take advantage of the situation and cook up some underhand and treacherous dealing to remove Naomi from the lives permanently. I loved the whole story but would have like the ending to be more drawn out.

The characterisation and settings are superbly written from the horrors of Korea to the serene Appalachian region seemingly a lifetime away. I was really invested in this story and look forward to reading more of Ron Rash’s novels.

With thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the horrors of the Korean war to the gentle and repetitive life of the eponymous caregiver, this melancholic, story is written in spare prose, but all the more effective for that. Not surprised to learn the the author is also a poet. What dreadful things people do even when thinking they are doing the right thing out of love. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but this was a rewarding read and I so wanted things to work out.

This is storytelling at its best, written lyrically in beautiful prose, emotionally highly charged without being sentimental – it reads like a classic.

The story is set in a small Appalachian town during the years of the Korean war. Jacob, serving in Korea, has left his young pregnant wife in the care of his childhood friend Blackburn because his parents, who disapproved of his marriage, had refused his request. When Jacob returns to his home town, injured and badly traumatised, he unknowingly finds himself entangled in a web of smothering love and unimaginable deceit spun by his parents.
Rash tells a tale of love and deceit, true friendship, family betrayal and small-town life whilst also illuminating the terrible impact war has on its participants as well as on those who stay at home.

The star of the show however is Blackburn Gant, Jacob’s unlikely childhood friend - a loner, disfigured by childhood polio but equipped with a big heart and a moral compass like no other. He is The Caretaker in every sense of the word: he takes care of the graves in the town’s cemetery and he temporarily fulfils the role of another, Jacob, by looking after his wife and providing her with physical and emotional support. Impossible not to love him. The same goes for the book, which I regard to be one of the best I have read in a good while.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Canongate for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

.Ron Rash writes a beautifully poignant exploration of Appalachian North Carolina small town community and life at Blowing Rock in the 195os. The novel opens with a conscripted soldier, Jacob Hampton, experiencing the kind of freezing cold and dangers coming from across a frozen river that have claimed the lives of other men in the Korean War. Will he live to return home? The only thing that keeps him him clawing to survive is his 17 year old pregnant wife, Naomi Clare. Jacob had failed to live up to the expectations that his parents, Cora and Daniel, had for him, not finishing college, preferring instead to become a manual worker instead. What they could not stomach was him marrying 16 year old Naomi Clare from Tennessee, uneducated, poor, and working as a maid at The Green Park Inn.

Having experienced the tragic loss of 2 children, they had poured all their dreams and hopes into Jacob, they make the momentous decision to disinherit him. As Jacob leaves to fight, he has no-one to ask other than his best friend, Blackburn Gant, to keep an eye on and take care of a shunned and pregnant Naomi. Gant too is an outsider, with his limp and disfigured face from childhood polio, bullied, he is loyal and steadfast. At 16 years of age, his parents left for Florida, whilst he became the reclusive, compassionate, and diligent caretaker of the dead at the hill cemetery, his work ensuring he becomes a physically strong man. Gant goes out of his way to take the best care of Naomi he can, but does not anticipate how close the two of them become.

Neither he, nor a PTSD afflicted Jacob, could imagine the horrors of the lengths to which Daniel and Cora will go to ensure Jacob falls in with their plans for him. Rash penetrates the intricacies and complexities of the nature of community, family, marriage and friendship through the interactions and relationships between Gant, Jacob, and Naomi, whilst providing a marvellous sense of location with his rich descriptions. It is Gant who steals the show, who against all the odds, rises above the cards life has dealt him, ostracism, the injustices, the bullying by the likes of Billy Runyan, and the threats to his livelihood. This is an exquisite, profoundly affecting historical read that I am certain a wide range of readers will love. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Canongate, and the author Ron Rash.
Reading this novel I remembered how much I enjoyed 'Serena' and how vivid a storyteller this author is. I started and finished this in one day and was completely hooked, I couldn't put it down. A full range of complex characters and a completely involving story that you can't help but get swept up in. Would highly recommend.

What a lovely read. A story of love, jealousy, a parents’ desire to hold on to their children and with the backdrop of a war and the mental health problems that can bring. The characters are all such individuals but there is one who seems strong enough to hold them all together. Blackburn, with deformities that set the townsfolk against having much to do with him and yet his loyalty to his friends is so strong. This was a story that appeared to be heading toward a real wrong being done to others and you’ll need to read it to find out whether that travesty occurs. It is so worth reading. A lovely book.

The description of both the setting and the time absolutely absorb you into the story to the point feeling the cold and smelling the Earth.
With beautifully described characters, particularly Blackburn and Naomi, and a twisted tale of lost love and firm friendship built this is a wonderful read.