Henry Wise Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

Writer and editor Jenny Bartoy in conversation with the author about his novel, Holy City, for CrimeReads.

Jenny Bartoy: The theme of home pervades this story. Will returns home where a variety of ghosts and guilts await him. For several of the characters, home is fraught — whether that home is a house, a family, a culture, a county. Can you tell me more about how you played with this theme?

Henry Wise: Will's got a foot in two different worlds, so he doesn't really belong entirely anywhere. He's held suspect in what he considers his home. He returns to it and it's not what he expected entirely. And he's got a foot in Richmond, he's been there for 10 years, but he doesn't really belong in Richmond either. This idea of inner division between urban and rural Virginia, and how he doesn't really belong in either place — that sort of ended up controlling a lot of the narrative. You know, Thomas Wolfe said, "You can't go home again," but what happens when you do? What happens when you try to get back in touch? Drug use is a theme in the story, and Will is not a drug addict, but returning home in a way is almost like a relapse. He probably shouldn't go back if he knows what's good for him. But he does. There's this thing that's pulling him. We think of "Home is where the heart is," and "There's no place like home." But what if home...