“This ain’t us! We’re better than that!”: Denying Reality in S.A. Cosby’s “All the Sinners Bleed”

Inevitably, when some tragedy occurs, numerous voices rise up to proclaim, “This ain’t us! I can’t believe it — fill in the blank — happened here.” This line of thought requires blinders that work to shield individuals from the realities of the communities they inhabit. They see tragedies as happening elsewhere, outside of their own space. No matter what the tragedy, it’s always a “not us” tragedy. Yet, when occurs to “us,” it becomes a “This ain’t us!” mantra, vociferously working to maintain an image of purity, safety, and community even when that veneer becomes shattered by tragedy. This sentiment weaves its way throughout S.A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed when a school shooting occurs in Charon County. The residents, unable to deal with the violence in their midst, attempt to push it outside of themselves by claiming that things like this just don’t happen in Charon.

Charon, a small community with 23 churches, hides its secrets behind masks, putting up a front to the world while shielding the truth from the light of scrutiny. Describing the community, the narrator states, “Small towns are like the people who populate them. They are both full of secrets. Secrets of the flesh, secrets of blood. Hidden oaths and whispered promises that turn to lies just as quick as milk spoils…