Now a Netflix film starring Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson A dark and riveting vision of 1960s America that delivers literary excitement in the highest degree. In The Devil All the Time, Donald Ray Pollock has written a novel that marries the twisted intensity of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers with the religious and Gothic overtones of Flannery O’Connor at her most haunting. Set in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a cast of compelling and bizarre characters from the end of World War II to the 1960s. There’s Willard Russell, tormented veteran of the carnage in the South Pacific, who can’t save his beautiful wife, Charlotte, from an agonizing death by cancer no matter how much sacrificial blood he pours on his “prayer log.” There’s Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife team of serial killers, who troll America’s highways searching for suitable models to photograph and exterminate. There’s the spider-handling preacher Roy and his crippled virtuoso-guitar-playing sidekick, Theodore, running from the law. And caught in the middle of all this is Arvin Eugene Russell, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up to be a good but also violent man in his own right. Donald Ray Pollock braids his plotlines into a taut narrative that will leave readers astonished and deeply moved. With his first novel, he proves himself a master storyteller in the grittiest and most uncompromising American grain.
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About the author
Donald Ray Pollock
Author
Donald Ray Pollock is an American writer. He first published his collection of short stories, Knockemstiff, in 2008, based on his experiences growing up in Knockemstiff, Ohio. His debut novel, The Devil All the Time, was published in 2011 to critical acclaim. Pollock served as the narrator of the film adaptation in 2020.
The Devil All the Time
by Donald Ray Pollock
Books Like The Devil All the Time
If you're looking for books similar to The Devil All the Time, here are some recommendations based on themes, tone, and narrative style.
Knockemstiff
Donald Ray Pollock
A collection of interconnected short stories by the same author as The Devil All the Time. Set in the same Ohio town, these stories explore the dark underbelly of rural American life with unflinching realism. Each story reveals the grotesque and tragic lives of characters struggling with poverty, violence, and desperation. The collection serves as a perfect companion to the novel, showcasing Pollock's distinctive narrative style.
Child of God
Cormac McCarthy
A dark and disturbing novel exploring the descent of a violent outcast in rural Appalachia. Like Pollock's work, it delves into the psychological depths of human darkness and rural despair. The book follows Lester Ballard, a dispossessed, violent man who becomes a serial killer and necrophiliac. McCarthy's stark prose and unflinching examination of human depravity closely mirror the intense narrative style of The Devil All the Time.
Winesburg, Ohio
Sherwood Anderson
A classic collection of interconnected stories revealing the hidden lives of small-town residents. Anderson's work explores the psychological complexity of seemingly ordinary people, much like Pollock's novel. Each story unveils the suppressed emotions and secret struggles of characters in a rural community. The book's exploration of human isolation and inner turmoil resonates with the themes of The Devil All the Time.
Winter's Bone
Daniel Woodrell
Set in the harsh Ozark Mountains, this novel explores rural poverty and family survival through a gritty, uncompromising lens. The story follows a teenage girl navigating a dangerous criminal landscape to save her family. Woodrell's writing shares Pollock's raw, unsentimentalized approach to rural American life and its underlying violence. The novel captures the same sense of desperate characters trapped in a brutal environment.
Bastard Out of Carolina
Dorothy Allison
A powerful novel about poverty, abuse, and survival in rural South Carolina. The story follows a young girl's difficult childhood in a poor, dysfunctional family. Allison's unflinching portrayal of rural hardship and family violence shares thematic similarities with Pollock's novel. The book explores how trauma and environment shape individual destinies with raw, uncompromising realism.
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn
A psychological thriller that explores family dysfunction, small-town secrets, and generational trauma. The novel follows a journalist returning to her hometown to investigate a series of murders. Flynn's dark narrative style and exploration of psychological violence echo Pollock's intense character studies. The book reveals the hidden darkness beneath a seemingly ordinary surface, much like The Devil All the Time.
In the Lake of the Woods
Tim O'Brien
A psychological exploration of a disgraced politician and Vietnam War veteran confronting his past. O'Brien delves into themes of trauma, memory, and moral ambiguity similar to Pollock's work. The novel examines how violence and psychological damage can emerge from seemingly ordinary lives. Its complex narrative structure and exploration of human darkness make it a compelling companion to The Devil All the Time.
Country Dark
Chris Offutt
A novel set in rural Kentucky that explores family, survival, and violence across generations. Offutt's narrative follows a protagonist navigating a harsh, unforgiving landscape with similar themes to Pollock's work. The book reveals how environment and family history shape individual destinies. Its raw portrayal of rural life and moral complexity makes it a compelling recommendation for fans of The Devil All the Time.
Jesus' Son
Denis Johnson
A collection of interconnected stories following a drug addict's experiences in the American Midwest. Johnson's raw, unflinching prose captures the desperation and moral ambiguity of marginalized characters. The stories explore themes of addiction, violence, and redemption with a similar uncompromising approach to Pollock's work. Each vignette reveals the complex inner lives of characters living on society's edges.
Crimes in Southern Indiana
Frank Bill
A collection of brutal, interconnected stories set in rural Indiana. Bill's stories explore economic desperation, violence, and survival with a raw, uncompromising style. Each narrative reveals the dark undercurrents of rural American life, much like Pollock's novel. The collection captures the same sense of moral complexity and environmental determinism found in The Devil All the Time.
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