Appalachian author and 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr. released his hybrid novel Tore All to Pieces.
The book blends short stories and poetry set in a fictional Appalachian town called Mosely.
“Tore All to Pieces is about loving the people I love in Eastern Kentucky exactly as they are and not feeling the need to make them anything else for outside people,” said Carver. “It’s a book about imperfect people living imperfect lives and being worthy of love.”
The title draws from a phrase commonly heard throughout Appalachia.
“My husband is from Georgia, so Appalachia is new to him. When we first moved here, he was obsessed with how often people said the phrase,” said Carver. “Everybody was just tore all to pieces about everything. Once he pointed it out, I realized, yes, we do say it for everything.”
The title also speaks to the experience of Appalachians who feel like outsiders in their own region.
“We do belong. Our story is part of Appalachia’s story,” said Carver. “You can’t really tear us out. We’re a part of the larger painting, and if you try to, you destroy the painting.”
The book is told through multiple perspectives, with each standing on its own while still connecting to the others.
“A character who’s a villain in one story is the protagonist of another,” said Carver. “It’s thinking about who we are, depending on who’s looking.”
Carver said the characters are inspired by people he admires in Southeastern Kentucky.
“I think it’s really important that we handle stories carefully,” said Carver about the topics he explores through these characters. “These are not just people I know and experiences I’ve had, but people I love.”
The town of Mosely is influenced by Martin, Kentucky, where Carver grew up.
“[It] sort of doesn’t exist anymore,” said Carver. “The funny thing is, some of the elements of Mosely exist or existed in real life. For example, Beaver Creek and Cow Creek.”
While the book includes LGBTQ+ characters, Carver said he didn’t want to center them or over-explain them.
“I didn’t want to have to justify my characters. I didn’t want them to have to get out of here and prove themselves,” said Carver. “I just wanted them to be who they were. In reality, who they are is queer folk alongside non-queer folk… It doesn’t feel like a queer story. It feels like a story about Eastern Kentucky, which just happens to have LGBTQ people, because that’s what it feels like in real life.”
Carver taught in Floyd County and was named Kentucky Teacher of the Year in 2022. He later stepped away from teaching and began focusing on writing.
Now, with his second book out, writing stories like this one means everything to him.
“It means everything in the world to me for me to take the people in my life who do not get seen as mattering,” said Carver. “Being able to share those stories and to say these people matter. These people are legitimate. It makes my heart full and reminds me why we write.
Tore All to Pieces is available online and in local bookstores.
Carver will be making several stops for his book, including 5 p.m. on April 2 at CoffeeTree Books in Morehead, 6 p.m. on April 4 at Gateway Regional Arts Center in Mt. Sterling and 7 p.m. on April 7 at Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville.
