Saturday Review: “Gulledge’s Love Letter” a review by Shelby Hans of Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea by Jim Gulledge in NCLR Online Spring 2026
“In three parts, each focused on a region of North Carolina, Gulledge weaves an expert story of time and place as he explores how wealth, love, mental health, and war affect three families across generations,” Hans wrote. Much of North Carolina’s history–from the logging in the Appalachians to Vietnam Vets finding themselves at a loss on the coast–provides the factual backdrop to the fictional families moving through the story.
Hans notes the use of a pocket watch as the physical totem passing through all three families, but there are metaphysical elements as well. Hans writes, “Gulledge asks if the actions of our ancestors influence whether we are good or bad people. Iris answers this question for herself, determining that being good is a choice and refusing to be like her ancestors.”
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