Before We Left the Land
“Dreama Frisk’s novel Before We Left the Land is the deeply moving story of a farm family during the Second World War that captures what has been lost from the past without nostalgia. Using the world views of several people, Frisk recreates the tightly knit relationships of a large family whose shared labor puts food on the table—and also how a single death can tear apart the fabric. It is also a novel about the destruction war inflicts even on people who never go near a battlefield. Underlying the story is a splendid West Virginia landscape and the rich daily life of people who are truly on and of the land. A brilliant, sad, and beautiful story.”
—Meredith Sue Willis
Author of In the Mountains of America, Their Houses
and many other books of fiction and nonfiction.
“Dreama Frisk kept the hills and ‘hollers’ of her youth in her heart; her writing has brought them to life in ours.”
—Sherry Allen Keffer
Director of Governor’s Schools of West Virginia
“Dreama Frisk’s is an exciting new voice in the literary landscape.”
—Jacinda Townsend
Winner of the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Fiction
and author of Mother Country.
Ivory Hollyhock
This is a poetry and essay collection with an Appalachian focus, a slice of West Virginian history covering the time between World War II and the present. The effects of strip mining on the mountain culture is an underlying theme. The importance of family in the Southern working classes is the subject of many poems.
“This book came to my attention during a class at NYU on novel writing. In fact, the author was one of my classmates. Although not a poetry buff, I was curious about her work because Dreama Frisk herself is so charming. So glad I made the effort. I would have missed a lovely work. There's a reason this book is still out there. I highly recommend it in its entirety.”
—Amazon Reader
“I think the poems in this book are very down to earth. You get the feeling that the author did not just write the book, yet put real feeling into it. Some of the poems in there may very well relate to your life and past experiences. In short you should not judge this book by its cover.”
—Amazon Reader
“The collected works within the pages of this book definitely makes the reader realize they are not alone in their feelings. It brings comfort to all. Ms. Frisk's writings will have you exploring all of your emotions. I applaud Ms. Frisk's ability to so honestly share and put into words such true emotions.”
—Amazon Reader