The Weight of This World

By: David Joy

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Critically acclaimed author David Joy, whose debut, Where All Light Tends to Go, was hailed as "a savagely moving novel that will likely become an important addition to the great body of Southern literature" (The Huffington Post), returns to the mountains of North Carolina with a powerful story about the inescapable weight of the past.

A combat veteran returned from war, Thad Broom can't leave the hardened world of Afghanistan behind, nor can he forgive himself for what he saw there. His mother, April, is haunted by her own demons, a secret trauma she has carried for years. Between them is Aiden McCall, loyal to both but unable to hold them together. Connected by bonds of circumstance and duty, friendship and love, these three lives are blown apart when Aiden and Thad witness the accidental death of their drug dealer and a riot of dope and cash drops in their laps. On a meth-fueled journey to nowhere, they will either find the grit to overcome the darkness or be consumed by it.

©2017 David Joy (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Bleakly beautiful...[a] gorgeously written but pitiless novel about a region blessed by nature but reduced to desolation and despair.” (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review)

“Scenes unfold at a furious pace, yet contain such rich description that readers will do well to read slowly, savoring Joy's prose.... Joy's work perfectly aligns with the author's self-described ‘Appalachian noir’ genre, as a sticky film of desperation and tragedy cloaks everything his characters touch. April, Aiden and Thad are hopelessly conflicted, dripping with history and heartache, yet they cling to unique dreams about what life could look like if they carried a bit less weight of the world upon their shoulders.” (Associated Press)

“Joy is a remarkably gifted storyteller. The life he fuels into his characters is so high-test that if they are not lying face down in a pool of blood by novel’s end, they keep rambling through the mind.... How these characters deal with their demons gives redemption a new dimension.” (Charlotte Observer)

Enjoyed it.

This book will take you to a place most of us would deny exists in America. It is a place of despair that some never have a choice in escaping.

I. AM. BLOWN. AWAY.

I'm an audiobook junkie and I never knew about this book or this author until yesterday. This book will stay with me in a way that few books do. This isn't just worth one credit... It's actually worth 50 credits. Wow! Just wow!!

Joy goes it again

Loved the narrators performance. This is not a romance. This is not a feel good story. But if you want a gripping, truly engrossing story that actually makes you feel, Joy is it. The writing is so beautifully done it brings tears to my eyes.

Love his work

My second book I read by David I have them all now love his writing

Dark glimpse into a hopeless reality for many

The reality experienced by the two boys is hard to face but more real than one wants to imagine. This book seems to go along with the stark reality of Hillbilly Elegy.

pain turned poetry

David Joy writes about tragic people in circumstances they sadly inherit and try to learn from. His skill and commitment to observation exquisitely infuses pain with poetry. While I rarely gravitate toward topics of this type, his writing is well worth leaving my comfort zone of literature.

Great read!!

Fans of S.A Cosby will love this book. What a great author David Joy is.. not only incredibly entertaining but so heart felt and beautiful! It broke my heart not only with the story but with his beautiful writing almost like poetry sometimes.. thank you and just down loaded his newest..”Those we thought we knew.” Can’t wait!! ❤️

Gritty and Powerful

Gritty, fast paced Appalachian tale that grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. David Joy is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

the best David joy book yet

I couldn't believe David could top Where All Light Tends to Go but he has done it with The Weight of This World. David captures what a life of poverty and despair does to people no matter where you grew up. his words flow like music his characters are so real I feel like I know them. in a way I did. I grew up in the area he writes about. you will not want to stop reading once you start.

Well written but women sordid story

The true story of the underclass something like notes from the underground people who never have a chance in life. Unfortunately none of the characters are very appealing and their actions are gruesome and appalling. The author is a good writer and loves to describe The countryside. This book is not for the faint of heart