Avalon, Rise by Madeline ffitch takes place in a small Appalachian town and deftly renders an ensemble cast of flawed characters in loving detail as they all just try to do their best.
Leroi and Woody lead separate lives after growing up as best friends. They're further split by increasing social and racial tensions as they navigate the dense web of small-town life. After the two drop out of high school, Leroi starts cooking free lunch in the park with a collection of local punks. Woody becomes addicted to pills but still wants to keep a close relationship with his young nephew. Emma, Woody's older sister, hesitates to let him watch the seven-year-old when he keeps letting him cook on the gas stove. Emma struggles as a single parent, wrestling with the intensity of her love for her kids and her anger.
Local librarian Eloise has good intentions for social change but remains noticeably behind the times. When the leader of a white nationalist movement comes to town and wants to host a "European Heritage Rug Braiding" workshop at the library, it kicks off a swirl of chaos that pulls everyone into the cyclone. The situation escalates into violence, including the injury of a child that might be difficult for some readers.
ffitch (Stay and Fight) writes with sharp prose and gentle humor, casting messy psyches and problematic behavior in a gentler, more accepting light. Avalon is full of people who keep flailing and landing knee-deep in situations they don't know how to get out of. But despite it all, they never stop trying to rise. --Carol Caley, writer