“Readers of The Catcher in the Rye and similar stories will relish the astute, critical inspection of life that makes Little Hometown, America a compelling snapshot of contemporary American life and culture.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Little Hometown, America by CG Fewston serves as a harrowing witness to a Texas family saga enraptured by faith and loyalty, only to see the darker sides of these passions destroy a marriage and a family, leaving in its wake the most innocent of victims, the children… Ultimately, we learn in the novel as we do in life, the brave and the free are those who stand alone, unafraid of the truth.”
~ Johnnie Bernhard, author of Hannah and Ariela
“A national struggle that is ever timely…”
“Bolstered by psychology and far-ranging philosophy,” the American novel depicts a family saga portraying the “Norman Rockwell version of an American idyll… steeped in issues of social class and mobility.”
GOLD Winner in the 2020 Human Relations Indie Book Awards for Contemporary Realistic Fiction
FINALIST in the SOUTHWEST REGIONAL FICTION category of the 14th Annual National Indie Excellence 2020 Awards (NIEA)
“Little Hometown, America by CG Fewston serves as a harrowing witness to a Texas family saga enraptured by faith and loyalty, only to see the darker sides of these passions destroy a marriage and a family, leaving in its wake the most innocent of victims, the children. Each family member struggles to continue some normality while living day to day under judgemental magnifying glass of a small Texas town, where social decorum tangles with reality. Fewston gifts the reader with philosophical and psychological renderings of social justice and coming of age that serve as reminders to our own struggles in choosing a path into adulthood. Ultimately, we learn in the novel as we do in life, the brave and the free are those who stand alone, unafraid of the truth.”
~ Johnnie Bernhard, author of Hannah and Ariela
“Fewston employs a literary device called a ‘frame narrative’ which may be less familiar to some, but allows for a picture-in-picture result (to use a photographic term). Snapshots of stories appear as parts of other stories, with the introductory story serving as a backdrop for a series of shorter stories that lead readers into each, dovetailing and connecting in intricate ways.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“The novel’s focus on formative childhood moments is familiar… the narrator’s lived experiences come across as wholly personal, deeply felt, and visceral.”
Little Hometown, America (2020) gets its direct inspiration and title from LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL (1929) by Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938). It’s Wolfe’s first novel, one of author CG FEWSTON’s favorite books, and is considered a highly autobiographical American coming-of-age story.
An epic saga of growing up in 1980s America, Little Hometown, America is an American realist novel that chronicles a cast of characters living in Texas creating dramatic encounters between modern life and mythology.
“Fewston’s lyrical, nostalgia-steeped story is told from the perspective of a 40-year-old man gazing back on events from his 1980s Texas childhood…. the otherwise sharp recollections are sufficiently moving.”
While exploring a harsh but beautiful reality in a historical setting of small-town America, the narrative of Little Hometown, America shows the intricate details of multiple characters in their unique journeys dealing with love, death, family, despair, spirituality and friendship.
“The American novelist CG FEWSTON tells a satisfying tale, bolstered by psychology and far-ranging philosophy, calling upon Joseph Campbell, J. D. Salinger, the King James Bible, and Othello… In this way, the author lends intellectual heft to a family story, exploring the ‘purity’ of art, the ‘corrupting’ influences of publishing, the solitary artist, and the messy interconnectedness of human relationships.”
“Highly recommended reading for literary readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories and reflects on the memories that influence future generations.”
“Intrinsically wound within the evolution of American society and experience, Cody’s journey will resonate with novel readers who enjoy blends of social and psychological inspection.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
The forty-year adventure of angst and alienation describes the superficiality of society and tells of what it’s like for one white-American, multi-generational Texan struggling as a boy, born crippled and poor, to become what some critics call an “everyman,” (the L.A. culture critic Mary McNamara described the typical American “everyman” as being “male, white, Christian, physically able, mentally stable, financially sound and essentially kind,”) all the while dealing with poverty and its shame, unexpected deaths of close friends and family, and the challenge to love while trying to make an honest living from writing.
Evoking suffering misfortunes and arousing sympathy, the novel Little Hometown, America (130,000+ words) reveals a saga based on true events of a boy growing up in a small Texas town in the 1980s and the man he will one day become to travel the world, which will lead to a self-awakening and fantastical end, like Holden Caulfield, in New York’s Central Park.
“Through the benefit of hindsight, the narrator movingly conveys and interprets the greater meanings behind childhood memories.”
One of the first books of the new decade ~ Available January 1, 2020
~ Contact ~
For media, press, & publicity inquiries or for speaking engagement requests & inquiries: cgfewston [at] gmail [dot] com
The American novelist CG FEWSTON has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome (Italy), a Visiting Fellow at Hong Kong’s CityU, & he’s been a member of the Hemingway Society, Americans for the Arts, PEN America, Club Med, & the Royal Society of Literature. He’s also been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) based in London.
He’s the author of several short stories and novels. His works include A Father’s Son (2005), The New America: A Collection (2007), The Mystic’s Smile ~ A Play in 3 Acts (2007), Vanity of Vanities (2011), A Time to Love in Tehran (2015), Little Hometown, America (2020), and A Time to Forget in East Berlin (2022).
Forthcoming: Conquergood & the Center of the Intelligible Mystery of Being; and, The Endless Endeavor of Excellence.
He has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership (honors), an M.A. in Literature (honors), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Fiction. He was born in Texas in 1979.
