“Writing Through The Darkness” An Interview With David Payne

Feb 2, 2016

The Exeter Bulletin, Winter 2016

A conversation with author David Payne ’73

By Daneet Steffens ’82

David Payne ’73 wrote five critically acclaimed novels before turning his hand to memoir. The result, Barefoot to Avalon, is an unblinking look at the devastating effects that collusion replicates across generations. “We were a family and believed that family love was stronger than time or death, except it wasn’t” echoes in various permutations through Payne’s prose as he comes to grips with his brother’s bipolar disorder and his own scarred but resilient psyche. Avalon — lauded in 2015 as a Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book, an Amazon Best of Biographies & Memoirs and an Amazon Best Book — is a triumphant story of grasping in the darkness for the scary bits hidden there, catching them, bringing them to light and, ultimately, alleviating their impact.

Read the interview: https://www.exeter.edu/exeter_bulletin/12984_18242.aspx

“The memoir of the year… For the sake of all who are precious to you, people, read this book.”

Sep 9, 2015

Jesse Kornbluth, HEAD BUTLER & 20SomethingReads

“The memoir of the year.

I’d bet you’ll agree.

If you read it.

Is “Barefoot to Avalon” sad? Try heartbreaking. And not just because David Payne’s 42-year-old brother, George A., dies in a crash in 2000 as he’s helping David drive his possessions to his new home — that’s just the disaster that inspired the book. There are more. Many more: the entire history of the Payne family.

These are damaged people who wreck their lives and wound their kids. The people who come after them swear they’re going to be different. Then they fall into the same destructive behavior.

And it’s not just the Paynes.

Reading about them, you can’t help but think about your own family….

For the sake of all who are precious to you, people, read this book.”

Read the full review