TO WHAT LENGTHS WILL A FATHER GO TO SAVE HIS DAUGHTER?
Big John, a former POW in WWII, thinks women are smarter than men. The three women in his life agree, especially when he brags about knowing more Shakespeare than anyone else in Hope Springs, Mississippi. Big John is overly proud of the only seven words of Shakespeare that he knows: The prince of darkness is a gentleman. When Big John and his wife learn their beloved daughter has been beaten to the point of death by the man Big John pressured her to marry, he needs only three of these words: prince, darkness, and gentleman.
Set in the Mississippi hill country in the early 1970s, Go to Hell Ole Miss tells the story of a father’s willingness to do almost anything to save his daughter from the Southern gentleman he had pressured her to marry. Almost.
At its heart Go to Hell Ole Miss is a historical family saga of hope and hardship, redemption and revenge, faith and doubt. It’s also a compelling Southern tale with characters that become people who make you laugh, cry, and think.
“A must-read for fans of Southern lit, Jeff Barry’s novel exquisitely captures the South and its complications of family, faith, hopes, and dreams. It’s a first novel of literary depth that makes a mark. His characters spring to life and keep the pages turning because we know them and can’t forget. Barry’s detail is rich, the literary voice strong.”
— DAVID MAGEE, author of National Bestseller Dear William
“In this spirited debut novel, we see a 1970s-era Mississippi family in high relief and high dudgeon. Jeff Barry deftly captures the idiosyncrasies, the conversational quirks, the deeper strains of melancholy, and the darker impulses of violence that most lifelong Southerners know all too well.”
— HAMPTON SIDES, New York Times bestselling author of Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers
“Rich with imagery of the Deep South and just the right dose of faith to make it real, Jeff Barry’s very well-written debut novel is a must-read for lovers of Southern literature.”
— RON HALL, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Same Kind of Different as Me
“Truly great storytellers make the reader feel as if the story is one she has lived. In Go to Hell Ole Miss, Barry writes with authenticity, humor, and subtlety to bring Mississippi hill country in the 1970s to life. The protagonist, Big John, is as brilliantly flawed as Odysseus, and following him on his journey as he works to right his own wrong is entertaining and engaging. Perhaps most importantly, this novel offers a much-needed meditation on Southern masculinity.”
— COURTNEY MILLER SANTO, author of Three Story House and The Roots of the Olive Tree
“There’s a perfectly good story behind this memorable title, and curious readers will enjoy finding it as they sort through the complicated dynamics of the big, messy Southern family at the heart of this winning debut. You’ll recognize these people. Hell, you may even find yourself in these pages. Jeff Barry relishes the pastime of good banter and storytelling. Reading his novel reminded me of a bygone time and of eavesdropping on the grown-ups with their colorful ways of tiptoeing around (and often steamrolling over) the truths and assumptions found in all families.”
— JAMIE KORNEGAY, author of Soil
“One-part Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and two-parts Richard Grant’s Dispatches from Pluto, Barry’s book overlies the ways soldiers carry war home and carry home into war. With a pitch-perfect cast of characters, it’s a colorful tale of family and all its messy incarnations—humor, loyalty, revenge, conflict, acceptance and, ultimately, unconditional love.”
— MOLLY CROSBY, author of National Bestseller The American Plague
“Jeff Barry’s novel is rich with veins of lore interconnecting all things and peoples Southern. His title demonstrates the natural intelligence a POW conveys to the next captured warrior of his nationality and origin. Such a message to a captured fighter in a lonely shed can save a life because it points toward home where springs hope. Southern readers will love the rivalry his title points out. His characters are dra- matic and faithful to the culture, ways, and influences bred in Southern families and communities. Its truth is that people in the South often do not address violence directly, nor even express love openly. So much emotion is held inside, safe, to protect one’s soul. The Southern experience often hides in shadows below the level of the conscious mind. Finding that truth in Barry’s first novel is a labor of love. When I think of Barry, I think of Slide.”
— SUE WATSON, journalist with The South Reporter
“I fully endorse Jeff Barry’s debut novel. Go to Hell Ole Miss is a pleasant and enjoyable read about a man and the love he has for his daughter and the people around him. Barry’s book tackles race through the eyes of the friendship, offering a welcome respite from the divided nation we find ourselves in today.”
— JAMES ARMFIELD, book scout with Alcon Entertainment
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Barry is a native Memphian with deep Mississippi roots. After he graduated from Vanderbilt, he lived on a small cattle farm like the one featured in Go to Hell Ole Miss.
Over the past twenty years, Jeff has worked in the farmland business in the Mississippi Delta. He has also spent time teaching English in Peru and advising farmers in northern Uganda. He now lives in Tennessee with his wife and three children. He enjoys hiking and camping, loves his Yellow Lab, Hazel, and likes one of his wife’s three cats.
Excerpts of Go to Hell Ole Miss
Narrated by Jeff Barry
Part 1
Chapter 1
Part II
Chapter 2
Part III
Part IV
Virtual Book Club with the Author
Upon request, Jeff Barry can join your book club virtually for a deeper dive into the book and for Q and A. Please provide at least 2 weeks advance notice of request. Once your request is received, you will receive a confirmation by email with further instruction.
