Falling Dark

Set in rural Oklahoma on the backside of '60s idealism, this story follows the lives of several fallen dreamers, including Donna Bless, the alcoholic mother of two boys; Sam Casey, whose marijuana crop is ready for picking; and Roy Dale, a wiry, bitter man who connects them all. If Roy Dale is the dark center of this novel, Sam Casey's farm provides the light. The characters move through several small town settings - bars, the grocery store, beat-up subdivisions, the local high school - and even up to Tulsa, but everyone is at some point drawn to the farm that was once a commune, complete with geodesic dome.

Writing in the voice of a storyteller, Tim Tharp re-creates a contemporary small town and moves inside the minds and hearts of its people. His tale delineates the fragility and difficulty of redemption and questions whether new growth can come from dying leaves, faded ideals, and crushed lives.