Black River, Paperback

An Indie Next Title An Indies Introduce Title Long-listed for the 2015 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

Impressive . . .A] tough, honest novel by a surprisingly wise young writer. Washington Post

A complex and powerful story putBlack Riveron the must-read list. Seattle Times

Wes Carver returns to his hometown Black River, Montana with two things: his wife s ashes and a letter from the parole board. The convict who once held him hostage during a prison riot is up for release. For years, Wes earned his living as a corrections officer and found his joy playing the fiddle. But the riot shook Wes s faith and robbed him of his music; now he must decide if his attacker should walk free. With lovely rhythms, spare language, tenderness, and flashes of rage (Los Angeles Review of Books), S. M. Hulse shows us the heart and darkness of an American town, and one man s struggle to find forgiveness in the wake of evil.

Artful . . . Hulse evokes the Montana landscape in lyrical, vivid prose. Boston Globe

Hulse believes that grace happens in a look between two people, or a moment of holding back. A powerful elegy. Guardian"