Coal Run by Tawni O’Dell

Coal Run by Tawni O’Dell is a novel situated in a western Pennsylvania coal-mining town. The main character is town deputy and injured football star Ivan Z. The book was published in 2005 Berkeley Books.

Ivan has recently returned to his hometown after years of being away. He returns to Coal Run to await a former teammates release from prison and to facedown his troubled past. The town Sheriff has hired him as deputy despite the fact that Ivan has no qualifications, is physically unfit, and he’s a raging alcoholic.  Gee, What could go wrong here?!?! 

The reason novels interest me — that simple reminder that humor & hope can still be found amongst pain. This novel is no exception. I laughed out loud a few times due to the quick wit of a few of its characters. Tawni O’Dell is always great at bringing the town and it’s people vividly into the light so the reader can actually know the town, its residents, and their beauty & flaws. 

Audible narrator is Daniel Passer. He does a good job of presenting the towns people & conveying their thoughts and emotions clearly through his narration. His “female” representations do sound like a man mocking a woman, but it still works. The audiobook is published through Penguin Random House.