Follow Me Down

By: Shelby Foote

Narrated by: Tom Parker

A stark tale of a crime of passion, Follow Me Down tells the story of Luther Eustis, a respectably religious Mississippi farmer, who runs off to a deserted island with a young girl and brutally kills her after a three-week idyll. Why? And what was there about Eustis that attracted the young girl in the first place? The explanation of Eustis' motives is tangled and far from obvious, and each narrator perceives and reveals only parts and facets of the truth. Bit by bit, the story emerges, with stunning dramatic impact.

First published in 1950, Follow Me Down continues to enjoy critical acclaim and wide readership.

©1950 Shelby Foote, Renewed 1978. Published by arrangement with RLR Associates, Ltd. (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This is a solid interpretation by an accomplished reader." (AudioFile)

A good look at the past

Shelby Foote's books always have a good story and an honest look at the old south. I enjoy them very much.

Prepare to Be Sucked In

There’s a whirlpool – an image used at least once in the book – at the center of this story, and it pulls you under as relentlessly as it does the hapless characters. The superb three-volume narrative history of the Civil War, the only other work by Shelby Foote that I’ve read, hardly prepared me for a fictional story as quickly and deeply engaging as this. Foote always thought of himself primarily as a novelist, and now I know why.

Of course, you’ll be reminded of O’Conner and Faulkner (especially his collection, Knight’s Gambit), but this is its own animal, the only similarity being the lasting impression felt when it’s all over. The writing is vivid, the characters memorably drawn, and their overlapping testimonies illuminating. Where they corroborate each other, the story gains in dimension. Where they diverge – usually over differing intentions and perceptions – tragedy ensues. It is all masterfully done, as is Grover Gardner's performance. He is always a pleasure to listen to.

What an incredible novel...with one flaw

I know Shelby Foote only from his remarkable Civil War histories (read them, please!) and so his novel here took me by surprise. It is Faulknerian and recalls Robert Penn Warren and Flannery O'Connor, among other great Southern writers.

A great tale told and retold through the lenses of a dozen or so narrators but never feels repetitive or boring. A tour-de-force of narrative style and voice: each of the prismatic views holds its own truth and its own voice, and that's a remarkable achievement. If I were ever to be given the chance to teach a course in 20th Century American Southern Novels, this would be in my top five to have my students read.

My one criticism of the novel (and please see my critique of John Williams's novel "Stoner") is the lack of depth of the references to African American people in the text. When they are not simply referred to using the n-word (realistically enough and not reflecting on Foote himself), they are ciphers...unknown and unknowable to the complete list of absolutely white narrators. Why couldn't Foote have created at least one white narrator in this novel who doesn't hate and disparage African Americans? It serves no plot reason since nothing hinges upon race in that regard. I find it troubling to read literature of that time and to see white authors simply abdicating the power they have to make a difference by creating honest, open, and fully human non-white characters. Faulkner did it...why can't others?

Great as always

Mr. Foote weaves a wonderful tale with his usual Southern graces and flow. A wordsmith’s talent that few others can match.

Good old Southern story

If you like southern fiction, you probably can't go wrong with this author. Several colorful characters make up the story, and it has a tinge of melancholy throughout. It's definitely not a feel good or picker upper sort of story, but it'd fit the bill for old fashioned southern storytelling.
Narration was very good.