Named One of the Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2019 by The Millions
Named One of the 25 Books to read in the second half of 2019 by The Week
Selected as an Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
Named One of the 5 Hottest Debuts of Fall 2019 by The Writer
"Shelburne's stunning debut novel is a long trip into small-town Tennessee. . .riveting, touching, heart-wrenching, tragic, and beautiful." —Booklist
"Holding On To Nothing is a resonant song of the South, all whiskey, bluegrass, Dolly Parton, tobacco fields, and women who know better but still fall for the lowdown men whom they know will disappoint them. Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne writes with extraordinary love and compassion of the lives of her flawed characters; she shines a clear, calm light on their tragedies, their joys, and their hard-won redemptions." —Lauren Groff, Florida and Fates and Furies
"Forget Hillbilly Elegy and read this gorgeous novel instead. Every detail is exactly right. Contemporary themes of work and no work, drinking, sex, guns, music, community, and no future—along with in-depth character development and a hard-driving plot—make this a book you literally cannot put down." —Lee Smith, Dimestore: A Writer's Life and The Last Girls
"With her immense empathy for her characters, Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne refuses to give the reader a simple, and stereotypical, tale of Appalachian dysfunction. Instead, we get a story of a seemingly star-crossed couple striving to create a better life in the most trying of circumstances. Holding On To Nothing is a gem." —Ron Rash, Serena