Reviewed by Cheyanne Hensley
Life is challenging, and part of the circle of life involves trying new things and accepting changes. Oftentimes, people find it difficult to start a new chapter in their life when it is so much easier to gravitate toward the past and stick with what we know. In Wes Blake’s novella Pineville Trace (Etchings Press, University of Indianapolis 2024), readers are guided on a journey through the life of Frank Russet. Frank is a southern preacher with a large following. He is sentenced to prison for fraud. After escaping from prison with his cat Buffalo, Frank travels through the countryside to help relive his traumatizing past as a cathartic process. However, this is the beginning of Frank questioning, not only his faith, but himself. Frank finally realizes, at the end of his life, how the good things that have happened to him occurred in his darkest moments.
In Blake’s novella, the depth of writing is so strong that the reader can imagine standing in the background of every chapter, as no elaborate detail is missed. The reader easily follows Frank’s journey through the United States to Canada and eventually to Mexico, where Frank remembers a time when he felt his faith helped him and those around him. However, Frank now believes his faith can no longer help.
Frank spends a lot of time in Mexico drinking and drowning his sorrows. He describes Mexico as having the scent of rusty iron. While there, Frank has a vision of himself conversing with two ghosts—his brother Henry and a girl named Lucinda. Frank has essentially spent most of his life trying to understand why his mother blamed him for Henry’s death. It’s not until Henry, as a ghost, speaks to Frank that he remembers the great times they had together. He then has absolution and realizes Henry’s death was not his fault.
As I sitting thinking about the complex aspect of this novella, I reflected on my own life. Certainly, Wes Blake was intentional in influencing the reader, as he loosely guides the reader in and out of Frank’s consciousness. However, this in-and-out technique sometimes makes it hard to keep track of what is happening. Also, there’s a point in the book where Blake is talking about writing the book. I found this literary technique somewhat confusing. For instance, in the first two chapters, the story is told in third person and describes the atmosphere and Frank’s thoughts as he travels to the prison. However, in the chapter three, the narration switches to first person, and then Blake talks about writing a book about Frank. At the end of this chapter, Blake talks about going to sleep. Afterwards, the following chapter returns to third person. The reader must trust the process of the book to understand characters. Even when unsure about what is Frank’s consciousness compared to what is happening, I was always eager to read on.
Each section has the intent of being its own little story with hidden gems that sometimes are not uncovered until the end, especially when Frank realizes before he dies that there were many moments in his life that he missed because of he was too focused on the past. For instance, Frank describes how he wants to redeem himself when he shares stories with his cat Buffalo about his brother. Frank is too focused on the idea of redeeming himself and not looking at those good moments he had with Henry and the people around him.
Wes Blake made Frank very easy character to relate to. One of the most poignant moments is when Frank talks about life decisions:
“So much of his life had been logical. It had been based on instinct, especially big decisions. He knew it was not logical to escape from minimum-security prison. It was absurd. Foolish. A place you would be released from in a short time anyway. A place that was, after all, not so bad. And now, as a result, he could never return to regular life.”
Wes Blake in Pineville Trace illustrates the struggle of Frank Russet as he gravitates towards—and lives in— his past. Although the novella takes the reader loosely in and out of consciousness, Frank is very relatable in many ways, as the reader is placed in his shoes. As I have reflected on the story—and as the reader will also do—you are apt to think about your own life and the struggles you feel are important, and like Frank, hark to the past. As with Frank, the struggles are much more challenging than most will admit.
About the Author:
Wes Blake
Wes Blake is the author of Pineville Trace, winner of the Etchings Press Novella Prize and finalist for the Feathered Quill Book Award for Debut Author. His fiction and essays have appeared in Electric Literature, storySouth, and Louisiana Literature Journal, among others, and he holds an MFA from the Bluegrass Writers Studio. He lives in Nonesuch, Kentucky with his wife and cats.
About the Reviewer:
Cheyanne Hensley
Cheyanne Hensley is a dual enrollment high school junior interested in Cybersecurity. She wants to major in Cybersecurity at Reinhardt University.
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