"I always tell the same story. Over and over. It's the story about getting what you want. And the story about not getting what you want. It's the only story I know."
Wes Blake tells a parallel story in Pineville Trace. Like a photo and its negative, the narrative follows similar characters and situations as Frank rewriting over his past to make sense of it. Following the Buffalo, Frank Russett mulls over his past in a layered narrative that would lead you deeper into the wilderness with no way out. Wes Blake's debut novella plays with time, begging the reader to follow along and trust the ride. Frank is a protagonist filled with guilt, searching for meaning in the forest with his cat, Buffalo.
"[Frank] had become an actor in his own life. Reading a script."
As Frank traverses the shadowy edges of society, he encounters remnants of his former self, forcing him to confront his deepest regrets and desires. Blake's haunting prose captures the essence of a man on the brink of transformation, urging readers to ponder the thin line between redemption and damnation.