Tim Poland’s Yellow Stonefly is the story of Sandy Holston, a woman with a past who has moved to the headwaters of the upper Ripshin River Valley of western Virginia in search of peace, solitude, and a simple life where she is able to satisfy her passion for fly fishing without the intrusion of human beings and the problems they bring. But life has other plans for Sandy. Soon, her world becomes far from simple as she is pulled from her solitude and forced to negotiate the world of people, along with its attendant love, pain, and grief.
Yellow Stonefly is also the story of a river whose headwaters provide trout fishing, an activity loved by Sandy. The river, its fish, and its environs are almost as much of a character as Sandy herself, and the novel is lush with descriptions of this magical riparian world in the mountains. Sandy loves the river, fishing in it, being in this very special place. Early in the book, Poland writes of Sandy:
She had learned the language of trout. She could speak with the waters of this pool, and the fish it held, in a tongue intelligible in the wild world of water and stone. Here on this evening, she spoke fluently.
Poland’s descriptions of the natural world decorate this book beautifully. He is skilled at immersing the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of the Ripshin River, and his accuracy and attention to detail add significantly to the pleasure of reading this book.
The novel takes place in the present day, five years since Sandy moved to the Ripshin Valley, fleeing a husband, Vernon Adams, who had been in prison for murder. Having failed to help Vernon escape from his prison work detail, Sandy fears he will kill her when released, something he indeed attempts to do shortly after Sandy moves. Vernon tracks Sandy down while she is fishing the Ripkin, but when water released from an upstream hydroelectric dam washes him downstream, he is killed when he is smashed against a rock.
The main story in Yellow Stonefly is Sandy Holston’s journey into the world of human beings. A surprise child for her middle-aged parents, Sandy lost her father when she was a toddler and was raised by a mother “entrenched in the life of a grieving widow […] startled by the presence of a daughter who might intrude upon that grief.” Sandy marries Vernon Adams shortly after her mother dies when he proposes because “she could think of no reason not to accept.” Though in her thirties, love and the closeness of another person seems to never have been part of her life. She is intent on keeping it that way, but Sandy falls in love with James Keefe, a fellow fisherman and fly tier whom she meets along the river. She also becomes deeply fond of Edith Moser, one of the elderly residents at the nursing home where she works. And her friendship with Margie, a nurse at the hospital who is married to the game and fish warden for Ripshin Valley, grows deeper as she struggles to deal with the inevitable joys and pains that come along with each of her relationships.
Poland is an excellent storyteller, deftly bringing multiple storylines together in a book that holds much more than one would expect from 266 pages. In addition to the details of Sandy’s relationships with James, Edith, and Margie, there are also the stories of Charles Heaton, a strange, individualistic hunter living alone in the mountains where he is illegally killing bears; a cult-like group, convinced that the world is about to end; and a mountain lion that few believe actually exists. Poland capably brings all of these narratives to a satisfying, believable, holistic conclusion.
The characters in Yellow Stonefly at times feel somewhat black and white. Sandy often comes off as the stereotypical remote individualist whose heart is brought into the light of the world by the love of a good man. James Keefe is the ever kind and gentlemanly companion, never selfish, never unkind, at least before dementia begins to cloud his mind. Sandy’s friend Margie is the somewhat salty, but always faithful friend. And Charles Heaton is nothing short of evil in its most condensed form, and unbelievable as a result.
But the changes in Sandy’s character are believable, and the arc of Sandy’s journey is clearly and believably written. Moreover, Poland is adept at conveying the mindset of a long list of characters. While clearly maintaining the third person point of view, Poland adeptly shifts tone to convey the thoughts and feelings of these characters. Whether it is the grief felt by Sandy, the fear and confusion of Keefe, or even the primal perspective of the mountain lion, readers are there with these people and animals as the plot advances.
Yellow Stonefly
By Tim Poland
Swallow Press
Published November 8, 2018
Paperback March 12, 2024
Southern Review of Books 