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A Killing in This Town: A Novel
A Killing in This Town: A Novel
A Killing in This Town: A Novel
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A Killing in This Town: A Novel

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“In language reminiscent of Toni Morrison and William Faulkner, Vernon weaves a powerful yet dreamlike story of our not-too-distant past.”—Booklist


There is a menace in the woods of Bullock County, Mississippi, and not only for the black man destined to be lynched when a white boy comes of age. The white men who work at the plant are in danger, too, but they refuse to heed Earl Thomas’s urgent message that the factory is slowly killing them, turning a deaf ear to the black pastor. Thomas knows he should try to deliver the message again, but he hears the blood of his murdered friend calling to him from the ground, and fears that he will be the next black man to be dragged to his death.

Adam Pickens, a white boy now on the eve of his thirteenth birthday, isn’t sure he wants to wear the garb being readied for him by the Klan seamstress, or participate in the town’s horrific ritual. It is only when Gill Mender—a man haunted by past sins—returns that redemption seems possible.

A transfixing and pivotal work of fiction, A Killing in This Town exposes the fragile hierarchy of a society poisoned by hatred, and shows the power of an individual to stand up to the demons of history and bring the cycle of violence to an end.



“At once emotionally wrenching and rewarding to read.”—The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 1, 2007
ISBN9781555847531
A Killing in This Town: A Novel

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    A Killing in This Town - Olympia Vernon

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