Love and Lament - Other Press

JOHN MILLIKEN THOMPSON
LOVE AND LAMENT
Set in rural North Carolina between the Civil War and World
War I, Love and Lament chronicles the Hartsoe family’s ex-
traordinary hardships and misfortunes.
Mary Bet, the protagonist and youngest daughter of
eight, was born the same year the first railroad arrived in their
county. As she comes of age during the South’s reconstruction
and industrialization, she must learn to overcome her family’s
curse: the death of her mother and multiple siblings, a deaf
older brother, and her father’s growing insanity and rejection
of God.
In the rich tradition of Southern literature—including
William Faulkner’s Snopes trilogy and Pat Conroy’s The
Prince of Tides—John Milliken Thompson transports the
reader back in time through brilliant characterization and
meticulous detailing.
JOHN MILLIKEN THOMPSON is the author of The Reservoir
(Other Press, 2011). His articles have appeared in Smithson-
ian, the Washington Post, Islands, and other publications, and
his short stories have been published in Louisiana Literature,
South Dakota Review, and many other literary journals. He
holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Arkansas and
has lived in the South all his life.
PRAISE FOR THE RESERVOIR
“Thompson masterfully illustrates how
a seemingly clear-cut case can be filled
with ambiguities.”
—Library Journal
“An engaging mystery novel rendered
as Southern literature.”
—Kirkus
“Pitch-perfect to the post–Civil War
era.…This is an impressive first
novel…hurtling toward greatness as
an artful vehicle for grappling with
temptations and the ambiguities of
guilt….The Reservoir gets stronger
and richer as it rolls toward its
startling climax.”
—Jim Lynch, Washington Post
FALL 2013
Pages: 420 approx.
Rights: World
FICTION
Agent: Trident Media Group, Ellen Levine
(ellen.assistant@tridentmediagroup.com)
OTHER PRESS • 9