Go with Me: A Novel

by Castle Freeman Jr.

Overview

A young woman recently relocated to a tiny Vermont logging town, Lillian is menaced by a mysterious stalker named Blackway. This one man—who kills her cat, forces her boyfriend to flee the state in terror, and silently threatens her very existence—is a force little understood by the local figures to whom she turns for help. Yet, in this spare and powerful tale, Lillian enlists the powerful brute Nate and the curmudgeonly Lester to take the fight to her tormenter as a raggedy quartet of town elders ponders her likely fate. With simple strength and extraordinary force, Go with Me is a riveting modern fable of good provoked to resist evil.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061671852
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/17/2009
Series:	P.S. Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Castle Freeman Jr. is the award-winning author of two previous novels, a story collection, and a collection of essays. A regular contributor to The Old Farmer's Almanac since 1982, he lives in Newfane, Vermont, with his wife, Alice.

What People are Saying About This

Charles Bock

“Reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy...Go With Me is at once wry, primal, epic and impossible to put down. I’m telling you the same thing I told the writer Richard Price: You must read this.”

Reeve Lindbergh

“In this compact little gem of a novel two unlikely heroes help a stubborn woman track down a villainous bully. It’s a tale of love and justice and it’s beautifully constructed, with lightness and with expertise, out of north country conversations so quietly funny that every page brings a smile.”

Editorial Reviews

Reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy...Go With Me is at once wry, primal, epic and impossible to put down. I’m telling you the same thing I told the writer Richard Price: You must read this.” — Charles Bock, bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, on NPR's "You Must Read This"

“[An] elegant little thriller about cunning versus cruelty . . . [a] pure delight, thanks to Freeman’s streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue, and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a wasted word.” — O magazine

“This nimble thriller is the literary equivalent of a fierce bantamweight fighter: Short but muscular and lightning quick, it packs a surprising punch . . . Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail . . . Superb.” — People (Critic's Choice)

“What a spiffy little yarn, loose and funny and, at a few key junctures, righteously bloody...The book takes just a few hours to read—about the running time of the swell indie movie someone should make from this offbeat charmer.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Like its young heroine, Lillian, Freeman’s trim powerhouse is ‘a pistol.’ …Freeman’s beautifully cadenced dialogue is rich with humor, philosophic depth and a near-mythic sensibility.” — Publishers Weekly

“GO WITH ME ambles along with that … mixture of corny irony and shrewd wisdom… These guys have a sweetness and slyness about them that’s affecting. ‘They don’t change,’ Freeman writes. ‘Time doesn’t pass for them.’ You could say the same for good storytelling like this.” — Washington Post

“Castle Freeman Jr. packs more story into 160 pages than more famous authors could fit into twice as many...Go With Me is a dialogue-driven, take-the-law-into-your-own-hands story that is slick with humor and musings on pop culture, aging and American women.” — USA Today

“This gem of a novel by Vermont author Freeman may bring him the larger audience he so richly deserves…Freeman turns this fablelike story into a surprisingly suspenseful showdown. And the artful cutaways to the old-timers’ priceless, extremely funny conversations add another level of richness to the tale.” — Booklist

“There is a clear moral arc to this storyline, and suspense too. But GO WITH ME is also a literary novel, with echoes of “Deliverance” and Cormac McCarthy...Mr. Freeman adroitly captures the feel of played-out Vermont towns and people, and his dialogue has a terse, almost humorous, cadence.” — Wall Street Journal

“A fast, memorable read gooey with atmosphere, Go With Me is a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife.” — Boston Globe

“Castle...knows the territory well here, whether of the woods or the human heart. Go With Me is a fine testament to his considerable talents.” — Hartford Courant

“One of the smartest novels we’ve read in a long time.” — Time Out Chicago

“Freeman’s ear is flawless. The dialogue is taut, funny, wise, poignant, deceptively simple and only on occasion profane. . . . The description is astute and often beautiful.” — The Times-Argus (VT) The Times-Argus (VT) The Times-Argus (Vermont)

“In this compact little gem of a novel two unlikely heroes help a stubborn woman track down a villainous bully. It’s a tale of love and justice and it’s beautifully constructed, with lightness and with expertise, out of north country conversations so quietly funny that every page brings a smile.” — Reeve Lindbergh, author of Forward From Here: Leaving Middle Age—and Other Unexpected Adventures

“...the best mystery you missed in 2008...Tense and funny, “Go With Me” glides on pitch-perfect dialogue and a humdinger finale. — Cleveland Plain Dealer

“This unusual little gem of a book is part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller...Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax.” — The Guardian

From the Publisher

This nimble thriller is the literary equivalent of a fierce bantamweight fighter: Short but muscular and lightning quick, it packs a surprising punch . . . Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail . . . Superb.

People (Critic's Choice)

Reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy...Go With Me is at once wry, primal, epic and impossible to put down. I’m telling you the same thing I told the writer Richard Price: You must read this.

Charles Bock

What a spiffy little yarn, loose and funny and, at a few key junctures, righteously bloody...The book takes just a few hours to read--about the running time of the swell indie movie someone should make from this offbeat charmer.

Entertainment Weekly

[An] elegant little thriller about cunning versus cruelty . . . [a] pure delight, thanks to Freeman’s streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue, and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a wasted word.

O magazine

This gem of a novel by Vermont author Freeman may bring him the larger audience he so richly deserves…Freeman turns this fablelike story into a surprisingly suspenseful showdown. And the artful cutaways to the old-timers’ priceless, extremely funny conversations add another level of richness to the tale.

Booklist

There is a clear moral arc to this storyline, and suspense too. But GO WITH ME is also a literary novel, with echoes of “Deliverance” and Cormac McCarthy...Mr. Freeman adroitly captures the feel of played-out Vermont towns and people, and his dialogue has a terse, almost humorous, cadence.

Wall Street Journal

Castle Freeman Jr. packs more story into 160 pages than more famous authors could fit into twice as many...Go With Me is a dialogue-driven, take-the-law-into-your-own-hands story that is slick with humor and musings on pop culture, aging and American women.

USA Today

GO WITH ME ambles along with that … mixture of corny irony and shrewd wisdom… These guys have a sweetness and slyness about them that’s affecting. ‘They don’t change,’ Freeman writes. ‘Time doesn’t pass for them.’ You could say the same for good storytelling like this.

Washington Post

A fast, memorable read gooey with atmosphere, Go With Me is a gem that sparkles with sly insight and cuts like a knife.

Boston Globe

There is a clear moral arc to this storyline, and suspense too. But GO WITH ME is also a literary novel, with echoes of “Deliverance” and Cormac McCarthy...Mr. Freeman adroitly captures the feel of played-out Vermont towns and people, and his dialogue has a terse, almost humorous, cadence.

Wall Street Journal

GO WITH ME ambles along with that … mixture of corny irony and shrewd wisdom… These guys have a sweetness and slyness about them that’s affecting. ‘They don’t change,’ Freeman writes. ‘Time doesn’t pass for them.’ You could say the same for good storytelling like this.

Washington Post

Castle Freeman Jr. packs more story into 160 pages than more famous authors could fit into twice as many...Go With Me is a dialogue-driven, take-the-law-into-your-own-hands story that is slick with humor and musings on pop culture, aging and American women.

USA Today

This gem of a novel by Vermont author Freeman may bring him the larger audience he so richly deserves…Freeman turns this fablelike story into a surprisingly suspenseful showdown. And the artful cutaways to the old-timers’ priceless, extremely funny conversations add another level of richness to the tale.

Booklist

Castle...knows the territory well here, whether of the woods or the human heart. Go With Me is a fine testament to his considerable talents.

Hartford Courant

In this compact little gem of a novel two unlikely heroes help a stubborn woman track down a villainous bully. It’s a tale of love and justice and it’s beautifully constructed, with lightness and with expertise, out of north country conversations so quietly funny that every page brings a smile.

Reeve Lindbergh

Freeman’s ear is flawless. The dialogue is taut, funny, wise, poignant, deceptively simple and only on occasion profane. . . . The description is astute and often beautiful.

The Times-Argus (VT) The Times-Argus (VT) The Times-Argus (Vermont)

One of the smartest novels we’ve read in a long time.

Time Out Chicago

This unusual little gem of a book is part comic romp and part nail-biting thriller...Castle Freeman writes with both wit and a deep understanding of the human psyche, and he does not cheat us out of a dramatic climax.

The Guardian

...the best mystery you missed in 2008...Tense and funny, “Go With Me” glides on pitch-perfect dialogue and a humdinger finale.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Freeman’s ear is flawless. The dialogue is taut, funny, wise, poignant, deceptively simple and only on occasion profane. . . . The description is astute and often beautiful.

The Times-Argus (VT)The Times-Argus (VT)The Times-Argus (Vermont)

Freeman’s ear is flawless. The dialogue is taut, funny, wise, poignant, deceptively simple and only on occasion profane. . . . The description is astute and often beautiful.

The Times-Argus (Vermont)

"This nimble thriller is the literary equivalent of a fierce bantamweight fighter: Short but muscular and lightning quick, it packs a surprising punch . . . Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail . . . Superb."

(Critic's Choice) - People Magazine

"[An] elegant little thriller about cunning versus cruelty . . . [a] pure delight, thanks to Freeman’s streamlined storytelling, dead-on dialogue, and lyrical descriptions of the bleak, woodsy landscape. This is a meticulous New England miniature, with not a wasted word."

O Magazine

This nimble thriller is the literary equivalent of a fierce bantamweight fighter: Short but muscular and lightning quick, it packs a surprising punch . . . Freeman has a flawless ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for quirky detail . . . Superb.

People