''Go with Me'' is a 2008 novel by
American writer
Castle Freeman Jr.
Castle Freeman Jr. (born Nov 26, 1944
Retrieved 2012-12-17.
It is Castle Freeman's third novel and it was first published by Steerforth Press in January 2008.
Plot summary
This short novel of only 160 pages is set in backwoods Vermont where the local villain, Blackway, is making life hellish for Lillian, a young woman from outside the area. Her boyfriend has fled the state in fear, and local law enforcement can do nothing to protect her. She resolves to stand her ground, and to fight back. Lillian enlists the powerful brute Nate and the wily old-timer Lester to take the fight to her tormenter whilst an eccentric
Greek chorus
A Greek chorus, or simply chorus ( grc-gre, χορός, chorós), in the context of ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, satyr plays, and modern works inspired by them, is a homogeneous, non-individualised group of performers, who comment with a collect ...
of locals ponders her likely fate.
Inspiration
The novel was inspired by
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of ''Le Morte d'Ar ...
's ''
King Arthur Tales'', specifically "
The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney".
Reception
*''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' called it "a novel with echoes of ''
Deliverance
''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapt ...
'' and
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his gr ...
," and goes on to praise the author for capturing "the feel of played-out Vermont towns and people, his dialogue has a terse, almost humorous, cadence."
*''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' agreed, writing that "Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail."
*''
O: The Oprah Magazine'' called it an "elegant little thriller about cunning versus cruelty...This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a wasted word."
*''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' called it "a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife."
*Matthew Lewin of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote, "This unusual little gem of a book is part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller" and concluded that "Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax."
Adaptation
The 2016 film ''
Blackway'' is based on the book. The film was previously known as ''Go with Me'' and was released in some markets with that title.
References
External links
*
bookgroup.info: interview: Castle FreemanA Chat with Castle Freeman, JrInterview: Castle Freeman, author of ''Go with Me''
Editions
* Steerforth Press (First Edition, Hardback, US, 2008)
* Harper Perennial (Paperback, US, 2008)
* Duckworth (Paperback, UK, 2008)
{{Authority control
2008 American novels
Novels set in Vermont
American thriller novels
American novels adapted into films