C.H. Hooks’s novel Can’t Shake the Dust is a fast-paced and rewarding race through south Georgia.
George Singleton wrote of the book:
“The great racetrack in Darlington is called “Too Tough to Tame.”
The same might be said of C.H. Hooks. I kind of expect it on his
tombstone, though I hope it’s in another 100 years. Can’t Shake the
Dust, told from multiple points of view, never disappoints. It’s so easy
to say “This is one wild ride,” I know, but this is one wild ride. It
belongs on the tragi-comic shelf with Harry Crews, Barry Hannah, et al.”
In his own words, here is C.H. Hooks’s Book Notes music playlist for his novel Can’t Shake the Dust:
I write to music. It helps me tune out my conscious brain and hang out in a world of character emotion and setting—my book world. This list should be considered the tip of the iceberg. In some cases there were multiple songs by the same artist and I attempted to choose one. Hopefully you get a feel for the space I was inhabiting at the time I wrote and edited Can’t Shake the Dust. The book follows three generations of dirt track racers, the Lemon family, as the youngest (Little) takes to the track and navigates the brokenness handed down through his bloodline. The landscape of South Georgia, in my mind and memories, is a dusky place. Moss hangs on trees and sunlight—while incredibly hot—can have a hard time getting through the oaks and pines.
The full playlist that I kept in my head (and Spotify) while writing Can’t Shake the Dust is below. I’ve given points for a few specific songs, as well. It’s hard to emphasize how important music is to my writing process and how much I feel the list below when I think about the characters from the novel. My characters are real to me somewhere out there in the world and this is the soundtrack to their life.
“Hearts Racing” — The Bones of J.R. Jones
This song has every bit of emotion I wanted for Can’t Shake the Dust. There’s a love story in the book, and a tenderness that tries to break through, but it’s surrounded by so much brokenness. I could’ve included about six more songs by The Bones of J.R. Jones in this list.
“Derby Raceway” — Dope Lemon
The low hum of Angus Stone’s voice in this song is the electrical current of consistency that I, as a writer, needed to be able to edit the book.
“High Times” — Scott Ballew
Scott was kind enough to let me use lyrics from this song for the epigraph. He’s a hellofa songwriter and the idea of the marks we carry even when we’ve tried to escape the memory of them was perfect for Can’t Shake the Dust.
“Dropkick Me Jesus” — Bobby Bare
This song shows up in the book. It felt like the nose-rubbing former racer and father, Wild and his son, Little needed from the Baptist band at Hungry World. People trying to help, it seems, often can’t see the tone-deafness of their presence.
“Sorry You’re Sick” — Ted Hawkins
“What do you want from the liquor store?” When I was in undergrad and I didn’t feel well, sinus infection, cold, etc… I would get a fifth of Maker’s Mark and drink from it next to my bed. Usually by the time I finished the bottle I was feeling better, maybe not feeling at all. Self-medication or misguided attempts at helping another can, and do, sometimes work. It can be just about escaping one pain for another.
“Keep it Between the Lines” — Sturgill Simpson
A good portion of the book is spent behind the wheel. Each of the three narrators is trying to keep their hands at ten-and-two. Some are driving faster and some are more inebriated than others.
“The Passenger” — Iggy Pop
I’ve ridden shotgun through my own life before. Riding shotgun with a narcissistic parent bent on reliving their own glory can feel like a ride that never ends. Little is on that trip and trying desperately to get some agency and control.
“Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” — Car Seat Headrest
“We are not a proud race
It’s not a race at all
We’re just trying, I’m only trying to get home”
A car can be a weapon. Apparently, whales can be weapons for sailboats as well. It’s all pretty dangerous. “It doesn’t have to be like this.” But ultimately our bloodlines are inescapable.
“Tennessee Sun” — The Kernal
I was listening to The Kernal a whole lot while writing this book. There’s a line in the song that might as well be a mic drop.
“Well, I’m goin down, I know it, but I really wanna show it
So bring that other bourbon on
Don’t be startled if I throw it, start a fight with my ghosts
And sing some Waylon record till the dawn!”
This is the moment when you throw the tantrum and burn the bridge. All is lost. Maybe apologize tomorrow?
“Trailer Park” — Matthew Logan Vasquez
This song embodies acceptance of your position in life. There may not be better coming your way. Matthew Logan Vasquez provided the epigraph to my previous book, Alligator Zoo-Park Magic, from his Delta Spirit work. His solo album came out just in time to hang out on my turntable while working on Can’t Shake the Dust. I was happy to have this song on rotation.
“The World Ender” — Lord Huron & “Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac” — Dizzie Gillespie
There are moments in the book where it feels Wild and Little could be bargaining with the devil. These songs kept me in the headspace.
“The Perfect Parts” — Shakey Graves
Shakey Graves albums factored in heavily to my last novel, Alligator Zoo-Park Magic, and this song specifically made the jump to my next manuscript. The song itself resembles an engine, in my mind, attempting to turn over, then finally rumbling and coming to life.
“Bad Things” — Rayland Baxter
There are bar songs that encapsulate a rough evening and for me, this is the one. Senior is Wild’s father and Little’s grandfather. His bar, The Monkey Palace, is a rough place full of bad things and bad people. Characters doing and experiencing bad things drives action and forces reaction. A honky-tonk is a place to experience all the things, just don’t experience the floor or a cage at the Monkey Palace.
“Mr. November” — The National
Wild is stuck, literally stunted by the loss of his old self. He is physically and mentally broken and fixated on his past. This is easily one of the saddest songs—in my opinion—ever written about self-disappointment and the loss of time.
“You Worry Me” — Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats
There’s a lot to worry about in Can’t Shake the Dust. There were other songs by NR I could have included in this list, but there are caring and concerned characters in the book and they deserve dignification. Truly they deserve much more.
C.H. Hooks is the author of Can’t Shake the Dust (October, 2024; Regal House Publishing) and Alligator Zoo-Park Magic (2019). His work has appeared in publications including: The Los Angeles Review, American Short Fiction, Four Way Review, The Tampa Review, The Bitter Southerner, and Burrow Press. He has been a Tennessee Williams Scholar and Contributor at Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and attended DISQUIET: Dzanc Books International Literary Program. He teaches at Flagler College, and lives and sails in St. Augustine. You can visit him online at chhooks.com.