Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance-Jeffrey Dunn, author
The place is a typical town in Appalachia; it is a place where everyone lives a hardscrabble life. The “new kid” has come to town with his parents. He lives in a nice house, better than most residents. His dad is there to close the mine in Wildcat. It isn’t personal. It is his job. The “new kid” meets the first love of his life, Carolyn, and he makes a good friend, Dominic. They are from opposite ends of the rainbow, however. When the mine explodes, everyone is touched by it, and soon, other tragedies follow because of desperation or foolish choices. The people of Wildcat can either move on or remain. The mine is the lifeblood of the town. Who will stay? Who will leave? Is the town doomed to die. Does it?
Carolyn and the "new kid", are just teenagers struggling to discover who they really are and what they really want to do. They wrestle with their lives for a long time. Five decades later, Dominic suggests that the “new kid” should return to Wildcat. Coincidentally, Carolyn is there too. They have found a new kind of Wildcat; it has moved on the way they did.
Struggling to survive, the people who remained find a way to use nature to subsist contentedly. They grow their own food, make their own paper and ink, and they provide necessary simple goods and services. They care for each other. They are fifty years older. The Hotel Wildcat houses many of the people full-time and provides the residents with meals. There is an openness and honesty among all of the residents. They tolerate and respect each other’s different ways. It seems each of them has something valuable to offer.
The ”new kid” is still a newcomer, but they make room for him in the hotel. Carolyn is not a newcomer. She returns and begins to restore her former home. Do they find a way back to each other? Is it possible for anyone to find true happiness at last? Is the simple life of Wildcat a desirable one? Do we all need as many creature comforts as we demand? Does the abundance make us less appreciative of what we really have? Can anyone truly move on and live with their little “sins” or do they follow us forever?
This brief little novel is a tale written with a lyrical simplicity about what life can offer even to those who least expect it. With hope, a bit of fortitude and industriousness, the residents of this forgotten town in Appalachia rebuilt their lives finding friendship and solidarity in their effort to survive. They found each other and a purpose. Don’t all of us wish for that?
The author is having a personal conversation with the reader that works. His language is poetic; his message is magical. The Shadows of Wildcat come and go to reunite them with their memories. They connect the past to the present and even to the coming future. Many of this book’s readers will wish they could find such a place to retire.