The Pallbearer - A Novel
Jordan Farmer
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Summary
For fans of Daniel Woodrell and Frank Bill, The Pallbearer is a stunning debut that takes an unflinching look at an Appalachian town after several coal mines close, resulting in widespread poverty, unemployment, and drug addiction. The Pallbearer has a physically disabled protagonist and several fully realized gay characters whose narratives go beyond their sexuality. This answers a call for more inclusive and diverse characters in publishing. Jordan Farmer, who has dwarfism, writes about the challenges of physical disability from an informed POV. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate studying creative writing at the University of Lincoln-Nebraska. He will be able to use his connections there to bolster the publicity of the book. The novel directly addresses the contemporary issues surrounding the coal industry, the rage of lower-class white families, the opioid epidemic, discrimination against the LGBTQ community, and the prison industrial complex.