River Trash
L.A. Fields
Singer-songwriter Whitney Thorn is a 50-year-old recovered crystal meth addict and the well-known son of country music royalty. Struggling comedian and former nurse Graham Morrow is down and out at 35, living back home with his mother. They meet at an unauthorized, socially distanced show in a Louisiana field and take a chance on shacking up together.
At first, their bubble is untouched by tragedy. They create art at leisure and explore each other with curiosity and wonder. Friends from Whitney’s checkered past check in with him regularly, worried he could relapse. Graham watches his mother, aunt, and cousin Sage struggle in isolation while he escapes into Whitney’s world.
But with hurricanes ravaging other parts of the South and death tolls rising due to COVID-19, eventually trouble finds them. An unexpected surgery poses a serious risk. The presence of pain meds strains sobriety. Hospitalizations end in sudden losses. Homes are lost and must be rebuilt.
River Trash is a slice of Americana, a love story, and a bottle novel that takes place mainly indoors. Two men seek to know one another while a chaotic world swirls around them.
Paperback
Cover and interior design by Ryan Vance
"It's a beautiful reminder in an LGBTQ romance that the queer community is made of survivors who can weather any storm—including those in the heart—and River Trash is a welcome story that gives two men the respite they deserve." — Independent Book Review
"Fields’ unapologetically political voice and masterful pacing make this an unforgettable, emotionally charged read. With sharp insight and raw emotion, this is a book that leaves you questioning what it truly means to survive — and to love — in the face of everything falling apart." —Jill Mceldowney, author of Otherlight