Michael West's 'Lost in the Holler'

According to author Michael West, he didn't begin his writing career until three years ago, but you wouldn't be wrong to think he'd been doing it all his life. A native of East Tennessee now living in Bristol, Tennessee, West brings an authentic voice to a character-driven Southern Gothic story about belonging, memory, and the cost of silence in his debut novel, "Lost in the Holler". We've all asked ourselves at one point or another, do I belong here? That's the question author Michael West explores in his new book, and I got a chance to interview him and talk about that notion and his future plans. Set in the Appalachian mountains, Lost in the Holler follows a man leaving behind his high-powered finance career in New York City to return home to a Tennessee holler, only to uncover long-buried truths about his family and his past. With a strong sense of place, the novel is rich with the kind of kitchen table wisdom that defines the region. A former CEO, I asked West if the book was more autobiographical than fiction. "There is no direct connection between me and the main character, RJ," said West, "There are, however, traits which we share. My East Tennessee heritage lives within me, and I feel the emotions RJ experiences as he tries to return home. He was born into someone else's story, and he left that world. He struggles to see if he can return to the story he left behind." He continues, "I found it motivating to write this; to break away from the worn-out, 'local leaves and returns home' saga. I wanted to offer the reader a chance to immerse themselves in the place RJ called home and to honor the culture of those who were born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains. The book does this while allowing RJ to explore his family's past and the secrets they guard." In the book, RJ Burnette untangles a web of family secrets, including a decades-old murder. As he peels back layers of deception, he must confront the community's rigid code of silence that forces him to question his identity, his past, and the very definition of justice in the insular world of Gizzard's Holler. "In Gizzard's Holler," says West, "porch songs drift through the hills and casseroles arrive without asking. Belonging is both comfort and constraint." The vivid and authentic descriptions of the food, the bluegrass music, the slow pace of life, and the landscape transport the reader right into Burnette's world. But beneath the holler's mountain charm, there is a formidable wall of silence, a protective, yet suffocating, nature of a closed community. This story is haunted, not by ghosts, but by memories and secrets that refuse to stay buried. With a story this deep, you would think West had been writing for years but he explains, "I am an avid reader. Reading takes me to places I have never been and sparks my imagination for what can be. Unlike reading, writing was a later in life progression; a chance for me to express my thoughts and ideas. Three years ago, I considered what to do after I retired; I wanted to expand my love of storytelling and to pay tribute to things and places I care about. I think I have ten or so more books in me and I am excited to tell those stories." "I most enjoy the freedom to let my imagination flow, to explore new ideas, and the time it allows me to reflect and slow down," he says. "The best authors paint a picture with words. Challenging myself to tell a story that causes the reader to believe they are living the words is my objective. I can't think of anything else I would rather do." Referred to as "a Southern Gothic family saga that reveals its secrets like a nesting doll", "Lost in the Holler" is available at reputable booksellers throughout the South, as well as online. You can find it for $15.99 in paperback or own the eBook for $6.99. You can meet Michael West at a book signing event on Saturday June 13 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Dragonfly Book and Bar on State Street in Bristol, VA.