E. Davis Enloe, an Upstate resident who grew up in North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains, will promote his debut novel “Into the Night Woods” with a stop in Spartanburg.
When Enloe sat down to write his story, he knew he wanted to feature two boys who were thrown into conflict, but he did not realize that his longing for a lifelong friendship would help fuel the story.
Set in 1961 in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, this thriller follows two 13-year-old best friends, Boyd and Roger.
Boyd is expected to spend his summer working on his grandfather’s farm and praying after a schoolyard fight, but he has other plans. Alongside Roger, he embarks on an adventure to find an abandoned trestle and explore a cave with personal significance. Their journey is fraught with obstacles, including Boyd’s overbearing grandfather, Roger’s violent alcoholic father, a corrupt sheriff and even a dangerous cougar that seems to be stalking them all summer.
As the adults and institutions around him fail, Boyd is pushed to lie, steal, and risk everything for Roger’s safety. When the boys finally escape to their secret haven — the trestle cave — Boyd discovers the truth about trust, betrayal and the painful cost of protecting those we love.
“About the middle of fifth grade, when my father was in the Navy, we moved a good bit and (I) never saw (my) really good friend Phillip Smith again,” Enloe said. “Because of us moving a good bit, I did not sustain a lifelong friendship that these two boys (did), so there’s kind of a longing in that that I’ve dealt with as an adult.”
Enloe will participate in a reading and signing event on June 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Hub City Bookshop. Admission is free. For more information, visit hubcity.org/bookshop.
