| The Wettest County in the World: A Novel Based on a True Story | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Matt Bondurant |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel, Crime novel |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Publication date | October 14, 2008 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 320 pp (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-416-56139-0 (hardback edition) |
The Wettest County in the World is a 2008 historical novel by Matt Bondurant, grandson of one of the main characters in the novel. The book tells the story of a family of three brothers during the Depression in rural Virginia, who made a living bootlegging moonshine. The novel is told from both the perspectives of the three Bondurant brothers, mainly focusing on the youngest, Jack, as well as the separate perspective of Sherwood Anderson, who christened Franklin County, Virginia, the "wettest county in the world" while there.[1] The novel is currently being adapted into a film of the same name directed by John Hillcoat.
Contents |
The novel was inspired by the author's own grandfather and two granduncles.[1] The novel focuses on the historical events of the Great Franklin County Moonshine Conspiracy, a series of events and a trial which focused on the illegal activities of the moonshine industry in Franklin County.[2] To research the historical period which the novel depicts, Bondurant listened to family stories and used archival records, news clippings and court transcripts.[3]
In an essay, Bondurant also points out that he has his own experience with illegal moonshine from Franklin County, despite having been raised in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C.. He first encountered, and consumed, moonshine while a teenager and he knows his own family in Franklin County drink moonshine at family events. In his essay, Bondurant commented on how hard it is to receive upfront information from people in Franklin when researching the novel. The illegal liquor making in the county is a topic not often broached in public. He says that "you could spend years [in Franklin County] and never see [moonshine drinking], even as it is all around you."[4]
The New York Times Book Review emphasized how despite the lyrical and lively style of the novel, it treats extremely grotesque subject matter with detail that "can leave a reader queasy".[5] Similarly, Lauren Bufferd at BookPage.com explicitly warned readers with more sensitive dispositions that the novel is "extremely graphic, with multiple descriptions of physical injury, brutality and sadistic behavior."[3]
The novel takes place on two different story lines: the first follows the Bondurant brothers during the 1920s and 1930s, while the second takes place in 1934 as Sherwood Anderson writes about their feats. The New York Times book reviewer, Louisa Thomas, suggests that this juxtaposition of chronologies works well in some situations but not in others, causing unnecessary complication for the reader.[5]
In The New York Times Book Review, Louisa Thomas noted that the "prose is lyrical" but had mixed feelings about the use of a broken narration as the fictional reporter Anderson investigates the "Bondurant boys".[5] Ann H. Fisher of Library Journal called the book "a cracklingly good novel, with plenty of action and local color." She also noted that the book should be included in "regional collections" in Virginia.[1] Reviewing the Audiobook edition of the novel for Library Journal, Scott R. DiMarco called the story a "gripping, hauntingly told tale" and recommended the purchase of the audiobook for libraries.[6]
A film adaptation of the book, directed by John Hillcoat, is due to be released on 20 April 2012. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke as the three Bondurant brothers.[7] Also in the film are Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasikowska. The screenplay was written by Nick Cave, who also wrote the screenplay for Hillcoat's 2005 The Proposition.