'A fine and exciting novel . . . a brisk and jolting story that keeps the pages turning'
- Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain'A gripping, action-packed tale, but also [an] intelligent one'
- Guardian'The finest American novel in a long, long time'
- Annie Proulx, author of The Shipping News
A classic and unforgettable tale of two brothers struggling in a hostile world.In a lumber camp in the Louisiana cypress forest, a world of mud and stifling heat where men labor under back-breaking conditions, the Aldridge brothers try to repair a broken bond. Randolph Aldridge is the mill's manager, sent by his father-the mill owner-to reform both the damaged mill and his damaged older brother. Byron Aldridge is the mill's lawman, a shell-shocked World War I veteran given to stunned silences and sudden explosions of violence that make him a mystery to Randolph and a danger to himself. Deep in the swamp, in this place of water moccasins, whiskey, and wild card games, these brothers become embroiled in a lethal feud with a powerful gangster. In a tale full of raw emotion as supple as a saw blade,The Clearing is a mesmerizing journey into the trials that define men's souls.