Holly Goddard Jones is the author of The Salt Line, The Next Time You See Me, and Girl Trouble (Stories). Her work has appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories, New Stories from the South, Tin House magazine, and elsewhere. She was a recipient of The Fellowship of Southern Writers' Hillsdale Prize for Excellence in Fiction and of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Jones earned her MFA from Ohio State University and her BA from the University of Kentucky, and teaches creative writing at UNC Greensboro. She lives in Greensboro with her husband, Brandon, and their children.
*One of Southern Living Magazine's “ Best Southern Books of the
Year”*
*One of I09.com’s “Science and Fiction Fantasy Books to Keep on
Your Radar This Fall”*
*SIBA 2017 Okra Pick*
*LibraryReads Pick*
“An exciting novel, with unexpected twists and turns and excellent
character development.”—Los Angeles Times
“A deeply imagined, dystopian novel with beautiful prose and a
superb understanding of human psychology.”—The Huffington Post
“Combining elements of sci-fi, thrillers and speculative fiction,
The Salt Line is a page-turner. Ms. Goddard Jones…builds a
believable world and generates tension effectively. The plot is
action-driven, but an ensemble cast of characters keeps the story
rooted in human emotions and motivations.”—Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
“The Salt Line’s most poignant moments occur when the perceived
impenetrability of certain protective barriers is
undermined.…Jones’ masterful use of suspense not only bends the
style boundaries of dystopian lit, but it shows that the barriers
we all often rely on can break.”—Paste Magazine
"A riveting tale of a dystopian future in which the world has been
changed by the spread of some truly horrific ticks, and a
sensitive, fascinating portrait of the people who have to live
there."—Cincinnati CityBeat
“Jones' darkly clever worldbuilding creates a nightmare that seems
far from unthinkable....It's The Hunger Games meets The
Godfather meets Robin Cook, with female characters playing all the
key roles. Hell, yeah.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Social commentary and intense thrills rolled into one seamless
story. Outwardly an adventure story, this suspenseful novel uses a
thrilling premise to examine the fallout of abandoning universal
freedoms in order to ensure collective safety.”—Publishers
Weekly
“The mystery-like structure keeps the reader guessing as Jones
switches seamlessly from evocative pastoral descriptions of North
Carolina and Tennessee to action-packed scenes of violence....At
once dark, disturbing, and highly enjoyable, this is a timely novel
bursting with ideas.”—Booklist
“Terrifying and bold...A character-driven thriller with shocking
plot twists, jaw-dropping revelations and splashes of horror,
sci-fi and romance...Jones’ unique riff on dystopian fiction as a
platform for examining present-day concerns like climate change,
immigration, technology and fundamental human rights offers plenty
of surprises, but the most disarming aspect of The Salt Line is the
unexpected tenderness expressed by its fully fleshed out,
complicated characters who are fighting not just for their lives
but for their very humanity. More than just a high-octane,
speculative survivalist tale, The Salt Line is also a powerful
meditation on humanity’s fragility and resilience.”—BookPage
"A taught tale of survival and social commentary." —Locus
Magazine
"A lot like what Golding might have produced had he diverged into a
world of arachnids. And, it must be noted, nearly as well examined
and executed." —Mountain Times (Western North Carolina)
“Engrossing...The Salt Line is a well-written, literary novel.
Making deft use of shifting third-person viewpoints, Jones creates
complex and interesting characters....These richly drawn characters
and the world in which they struggle provide twists and turns that
will draw in any reader brave enough to enter a grim and
frightening world with killer ticks.”—Greensboro News & Record
“The Salt Line is a ‘literary thriller’ that manages to fulfill
each side of that phrase with admirable vigor. It's both gripping
and emotionally resonant, both suspenseful and heartfelt. Holly
Goddard Jones has a true storyteller’s instinct for suspense, along
with a deep gift for empathy. She’ll make your heart race as you
turn the pages, and then she’ll crack it open a little before she’s
through.”—Scott Smith, author of The Ruins and A Simple Plan
“With this intense, arrestingly vivid fever dream, Holly Goddard
Jones fully realizes a completely original and wholly
terrifying dystopian nightmare. Jones's wild, ventriloquist talent
unfurls in this novel like never before. Each magnetic character in
The Salt Line is boldly alive to the novel's world, at once
monstrous, uncanny, and yet entirely ours.”—Claire Vaye Watkins,
author of Gold Fame Citrus and Battleborn
PRAISE FOR THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME
“Impressive...[Jones] also has a precise eye and empathy to burn,
bringing many of her characters to well-rounded life.”—The New York
Times
“[A]n astoundingly good novel...Jones writes with authority and a
deep generosity...The result is simply mesmerizing.”—Gillian
Flynn
“So rich in character...An immensely satisfying and skillful debut
novel.”—Kate Atkinson
“A genre-defying novel filled with mystery...Beautifully
articulate.”—USA Today
PRAISE FOR GIRL TROUBLE
“The beauty of these stories (and they are exhilarating) stems from
how deeply we're pulled into this complex world, nudged to
recognize the thin line between missed opportunity and despair,
inarticulate love and loss.”—O Magazine
“Gritty, eloquent dispatches from the heartland...Jones' hauntingly
accomplished language lifts the mundane to the level of profound
tragedy.”—Chicago Tribune
“Jones' sparkling debut collection zeroes in on lonely searching
souls making do in a quiet Kentucky town.”—People
“Holly Goddard Jones is blessed with wisdom beyond her years, a
gimlet eye, and an enviable literary talent; her debut
collection...is a fierce and exhilarating achievement.”—Claire
Messud
“A grand debut of a writer who is assured, sensitive, and
wonderfully skillful...A marvelous work of heartbreaking
wisdom.”—Edward P. Jones
“Jones has a voice as expansive, complex, and beautiful as the
country itself.”—Joshua Ferris
Ask a Question About this Product More... |