Jimmy Wills, a 34-year-old house painter living in the mountains of North Carolina, gets a telephone call from his dying father in rural north Florida. His father demands that Jimmy come home to kill him. Jimmy knows he won't do what Truman Wills has demanded, but he finds himself drawn to the place of his birth by forces he isn't quite able to name.
He discovers that the town is remarkably the same. One of his father's best friends is still the sheriff and the other is the keeper of the general store. But in the course of his three-day visit, Jimmy begins to uncover dark and disturbing secrets from the past, including the truth about the murder of his mother. Although Truman was charged with the killing, he was later acquitted, and the crime has remained unsolved.
The murdered woman still haunts the dreams of her son, who was taken away at the age of 14 and raised by an aunt in North Carolina. Jimmy has tried since then not to think too much about his father. But when Jimmy pulls up to his father's house, the two men slowly begin to reconnect, with all of the promise and tragedy that entails.
Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist in Literary Fiction, 2004
Novello Literary Award Winner, 2004
Independent Publisher’s Book Award Finalist in General Fiction, 2005
REVIEWS OF PORTISVILLE
"Portisville is a gripping story of betrayal, murder and hidden secrets. A serious, small town novel brimming with gut-wrenching pathos that irresistibly compels the reader to turn the pages." —Midwest Book Review
"Add Steve Cushman to the roster of the Rough South School of literature. His novel follows in the tradition of writers like James Dickey, Harry Crews, and Larry Brown." —Greensboro News & Record
"Portisville holds the reader from the first page. An engrossing and satisfying novel... The combination of suspense and deep characterization makes Portisville a literary thriller." —The Charlotte Observer
"Cushman's prose is very clear, very tight....in this raw tale about a father and son and their shared horror." —Winston-Salem Journal
"Cushman has the right stuff and he's adopted a certain style that appeals to many readers." —Salisbury Post
"Rich with memorable characters and memorable language, Steve Cushman's Haunting novel compellingly affirms Faulkner's belief that 'the past is not dead; it's not even past.' Portisville is a striking debut." —Ron Rash, author of Serena
“Steve Cushman writes a lean, cool prose, and he uses it to tell a story crackling with reality. I'm betting that Portisville is only the first of many novels from this savvy new writer." —Josephine Humphreys, author of Rich in Love
"Taut, raw, and gritty, this tale of mysteries old and new in backwoods Florida rings with authenticity. With Portisville, Steve Cushman carves out a spot for himself alongside such Rough South writers as Larry Brown, Tim McLaurin, and Dorothy Allison." —Jerry Bledsoe, author of Bitter Blood
He discovers that the town is remarkably the same. One of his father's best friends is still the sheriff and the other is the keeper of the general store. But in the course of his three-day visit, Jimmy begins to uncover dark and disturbing secrets from the past, including the truth about the murder of his mother. Although Truman was charged with the killing, he was later acquitted, and the crime has remained unsolved.
The murdered woman still haunts the dreams of her son, who was taken away at the age of 14 and raised by an aunt in North Carolina. Jimmy has tried since then not to think too much about his father. But when Jimmy pulls up to his father's house, the two men slowly begin to reconnect, with all of the promise and tragedy that entails.
Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist in Literary Fiction, 2004
Novello Literary Award Winner, 2004
Independent Publisher’s Book Award Finalist in General Fiction, 2005
REVIEWS OF PORTISVILLE
"Portisville is a gripping story of betrayal, murder and hidden secrets. A serious, small town novel brimming with gut-wrenching pathos that irresistibly compels the reader to turn the pages." —Midwest Book Review
"Add Steve Cushman to the roster of the Rough South School of literature. His novel follows in the tradition of writers like James Dickey, Harry Crews, and Larry Brown." —Greensboro News & Record
"Portisville holds the reader from the first page. An engrossing and satisfying novel... The combination of suspense and deep characterization makes Portisville a literary thriller." —The Charlotte Observer
"Cushman's prose is very clear, very tight....in this raw tale about a father and son and their shared horror." —Winston-Salem Journal
"Cushman has the right stuff and he's adopted a certain style that appeals to many readers." —Salisbury Post
"Rich with memorable characters and memorable language, Steve Cushman's Haunting novel compellingly affirms Faulkner's belief that 'the past is not dead; it's not even past.' Portisville is a striking debut." —Ron Rash, author of Serena
“Steve Cushman writes a lean, cool prose, and he uses it to tell a story crackling with reality. I'm betting that Portisville is only the first of many novels from this savvy new writer." —Josephine Humphreys, author of Rich in Love
"Taut, raw, and gritty, this tale of mysteries old and new in backwoods Florida rings with authenticity. With Portisville, Steve Cushman carves out a spot for himself alongside such Rough South writers as Larry Brown, Tim McLaurin, and Dorothy Allison." —Jerry Bledsoe, author of Bitter Blood
