Mississippi Delta artist Ivy Coldwater sets out from her hometown of Prophet in an old Cadillac she has painted black with white road stripes, searching for meaning in a world that seems to be slowly fading. Part road novel, part spiritual quest, The Coldwater Girl follows Ivy across a landscape where the ordinary and the miraculous exist side by side.
Along the way she encounters would-be outlaws, a Confederate soldier who refuses to stay dead, flirtatious ghosts, blues musicians, rival psychic sisters locked in a price war, and a boy hunting butterflies with a BB gun. A mysterious voice drifts from the radio, weaving together reflections on faith, death, and the songs that carry us home.
Rich with magic realism, Southern music, and unforgettable characters, The Coldwater Girl is ultimately the story of a woman fleeing her past—only to discover she has been traveling toward it all along.

Praise for The Coldwater Girl

“Soaked in the blues and washed in the blood, Ivy Coldwater sings to us in more ways than one. When I read that she calls a minister whose last name is Mill by the name Preacher Mull—‘because he couldn’t wish you a blessed day without worrying over it first’—I knew I’d go along with this wild, rollicking ride. David Wesley Williams has crafted a superb novel that also happens to be richly atmospheric and superbly entertaining. I loved every word.”

—Steve Yarbrough, author of Stay Gone Days

“Deep-fried, imaginative, and at high speed. Lyrical and playful with a sacred heart. Modern writing on historical thoughts and the human myth. Lighthearted, meaningful truths. David Wesley Williams has found the root of the struggle of Southern humanity and a way to sing about it.”

—Church Goin Mule, Mississippi Delta artist

I’ve read the Bible, Rumi’s ruminations, and Lao Tzu’s philosophical musings, but Ivy Coldwater’s pilgrimage in a black Cadillac shines the purest light of all on the nitty gritty mysteries of life. Magical realism. Poetry. Literary fiction. Pure-t-fact. Call it what you want, but don’t miss this raucous jaunt from the Mississippi Delta where Jesus guzzles Schlitz and the Devil plays mumblety-peg. This purely original treasure belongs on your shelf between Dante and Faulkner.”

—Patti Frye Meredith, author of South of Heaven

“The characters in The Coldwater Girl speak a language all their own. It’s rhythmic and cryptic and distinctly Southern. Lucky for us, David Wesley Williams is fluent, and a master storyteller to boot. Williams’ style is not so much magical realism as musical realism. Lyrical. Melodic. Here is a story strung together on hooks and metaphors and set to an open-tuned guitar at the crossroads.”

—Richard J. Alley, author of Five Night Stand and Amelia Thorn

“At one point in The Coldwater Girl, the titular hero says, ‘we just seem a mess, all of us, man and woman, humankind.’ And when Ivy Coldwater, a Mississippi Delta artist, hand paints her white Cadillac Eldorado and hits the road in her quest for meaning, she comes face to face with the wild, wonderful mess of Southern humanity, a cast of unforgettable characters that includes sibling psychics, an amorous park ranger, a butterfly-chasing boy, amateur criminals, even Civil War ghosts. David Wesley Williams’ novel is a picaresque jewel, a road trip like none you’ve ever been on. He somehow juggles gritty realism with speculative lyricism, heart-stomping pathos with spit-take humor, fast-moving drama with quiet contemplation. Ivy Coldwater’s journey is sometimes bumpy, other times smooth as fresh asphalt, but it’s a trip you’ll want to take. Trust me, climb in Ivy Coldwater’s Eldorado and buckle up. You’ll be glad you did.”

—Scott Gould, author of Peace Like a River and Beneath a Fallen Sky

“Flannery O’Connor once said that her primary object as a writer was to track down the Holy Ghost. David Wesley Williams, in The Coldwater Girl, comes wonderfully close to achieving just that. I won’t soon forget Ivy Coldwater and her adventures. A delightful novel. Read slowly and see.”

—Lisa Cupolo, author of Have Mercy On Us