David Connerley Nahm

Nahm tells the story of a family hit with disaster, in a small town like any other town in Kentucky or any other mainly rural state, with a kaleidescopic eye for pattern and color and image. We hear Leah's fragmented stream of consciousness ruminating over her past and present, sometimes within the same sentence, the same phrase, as if we ourselves were captured in her dream world of history. The sliding scraps of memory video, small town and farm and day and night and fairground and school, childhood and adolescence, circle around a moment of suspense set up quickly and not resolved until the end. And the suspense held me in thrall, sometimes against my will, so that I would also see all the images in Leah's head.… (meer)

In her small Kentucky town, Leah Shepherd runs a non-profit focused on helping the victims of domestic violence. But in her quiet, reflective moments, she is haunted by the childhood disappearance of her younger brother, Jacob. Piece by piece, Leah relives her last moments with Jacob just as she encounters a final reminder of his presence.

Each page of Nahm’s writing is absolutely infectious. With a subtle cadence, he paints his story with brilliant familiarity; from the freedom of childhood summers to the confining restrictions of adulthood. Nahm’s handle on language alone would make for a novel well beyond most debuts, but when blended with the book’s unique structure, Ancient Oceans of Central Kentucky moves into a league of its own.

Leah’s mind is constantly shifting between past and present, allowing haunting memories to seep into her waking life. Through this, Nahm manages to make dreamlike scenes seamlessly blend into the stark realities of poverty-stricken, small-town life. Readers more reliant on traditional narratives may struggle with the floating vignettes, but those who seek out new styles will be thrilled. With the intricacies and devastation of life woven into 222 compact pages, Ancient Oceans of Central Kentucky marks the start of what will surely be an incredible writing career for David Connerley Nahm.

More at rivercityreading.com… (meer)

Ancient Oceans of Central Kentucky is the kind of book that can cast a spell over you, one that pulls you in. The writing is so beautiful, and the book’s mood so evocative, after you finish it, you’ll find yourself wanting to read it again.

The book is about Leah Shepherd, a woman directing a non-profit agency in her hometown of Crow Station, Kentucky. When she was about ten years old, her younger brother, Jacob, went missing. He was never found, neither alive nor dead. The story is told by a third-person narrator who might be omniscient, but if he is, he certainly doesn’t tell us everything. Most of the book is written from Leah’s perspective, though some of the short sections put us inside other characters’ heads -- primarily Leah’s mother, but also her father, and Jacob (in flashbacks). There are also passages about the everyday life of the town and its residents, which add to the immediacy of the story. I felt like I was inside the skin of everyone in Crow Station.

The story is not linear, and there’s not much “action.” Instead, Nahm masterfully takes us inside Leah’s thoughts, emotions, and memories. We see her at work, or walking outside, or talking with her mother, and alongside the mundane activities of most days, we watch her mind wander, and we learn about her past. Through her, we get to know Jacob, find out what they both were like as children, and share the confusion and grief the family felt when Jacob first disappeared, and in the months and years that followed. In the same way that people get distracted, or if they see or hear something that reminds them of something else -- perhaps from far away and many years in the past -- the novel follows Leah’s trains of thought more than any kind of plot.

The best thing about Ancient Oceans of Central Kentucky is the quality of the writing. At the most basic level -- sentences and paragraphs -- this is truly a fantastic book. As I read Ancient Oceans, the other book that kept coming to mind was Tinkers by Paul Harding, another stream-of-consciousness type of novel with gorgeous language, that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. Do I need to say more than that? David Connerley Nahm is a gifted writer, and I hope this novel becomes one of those small press success stories. And then, I hope he can find time to write more beautiful books.

Longer review with quotes at:
http://www.allthepartsofmylife.com/2014/10/go-read-this-book-ancient-oceans-of.h...… (meer)