Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward

Twins Joshua and Christophe have been raised by their grandmother after their father abandons them for his drug addiction and their mother leaves them for life in Atlanta.  Having just graduated from high school, Joshua lands a job as a dock worker, but Christophe has no luck finding employment.  Set in rural Mississippi in the hot weeks after graduation, tensions rise between the two as Christopher turns to selling drugs and Joshua spends more time with his girlfriend.  The novel simmers with slow tension, leading to a dramatic climax that strikes quickly, much like a sweltering summer day that breaks open into relief with a sudden lightning storm.  Recommended for sophisticated readers attuned to metaphor.--Anne Lotito-Schuh

Ward, Jesmyn. Where the Line Bleeds. Chicago: Agate, 2008.