Sean Dietrich’s Over Yonder: A Southern Tale through a Catholic Reader’s Eyes

Sean Dietrich’s Over Yonder: A Southern Tale through a Catholic Reader’s Eyes

By Marge Hynes, Writer

I didn’t grow up eating tomato sandwiches on the porch while cicadas hummed in the background (a little too on the nose?). I’ve never set foot in Alabama. And if you ask a true southerner, Florida—where I’m from (yes, we do have cicadas!)—barely qualifies as “the South.” Fair enough.

Still, reading Over Yonder by Sean Dietrich felt like stepping into something strangely familiar.

I was hooked from the get-go. I read it during lunch breaks, over dinner, after walking the dog, while waiting for the girls to get ready for brunch. I carried it from room to room, tucked it into my purse—always looking for a spare moment to squeeze in one more chapter.

It’s not a Catholic book, but as a Catholic reader, I can tell you why Over Yonder drew me in, and why it might draw you in, too.

Who is Sean of the South?

Sean Dietrich—known online and on the airwaves as Sean of the South—is a Missouri native whose stories, songs, and radio segments explore the everyday beauty and heartbreak of American Southern life. His work is marked by a warmth and honesty that feel like a good friend’s voice.

Sean’s path hasn’t been easy. After losing his father to suicide at eleven and leaving school in seventh grade, he educated himself through books and life experience. That hard-won perspective gives his writing a raw, unmistakable authenticity.

Over Yonder, his fourth novel, reflects that journey. It follows Woody Barker, a former priest struggling with health issues and life outside of prison, and Caroline, a pregnant teenager uncovering hidden truths about her past. Their paths intertwine in a story of found family, told with dry humor and deep compassion—a reminder of the good in people and the light waiting just around the bend.

Want to learn more about Sean of the South? Click here to read his biography on his website.

A Southern Adventure, Rich in Grace

I loved this book because Sean’s prose is homespun and full of heart. It’s accessible but rich with imagery, figurative language, and vivid detail. He’s got a real gift for being tongue-in-cheek and deeply sincere—often in the same sentence.

Woody, Caroline, Elizabeth, Melinda, Amos, Peter, and Tater, among many others, feel very much real—quirky, complex, and bubbling over with personality.

In life, every person is given one adventure. One big, scary, horrible, awesome, incredibly alarmingly, disturbingly beautiful adventure.
– Woody Barker in Over Yonder, p. 266

Sean writes with the kind of simplicity that’s anything but simple. Short, binge-worthy chapters. Dialogue that sounds like real people talking. He knows how to build a scene, how to hold tension, and how to leave you hanging. More than once, I stayed up late, saying to myself, “just one more”—then read three or four more chapters.

But don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a slow-burning Southern tale. This is a real adventure. Plot twists, car chases, terrorist groups, explosions, people on the run—you name it. It’s cinematic, fast-paced, and sometimes genuinely laugh-out-loud funny.

From a Catholic lens, Over Yonder is a story about hope, purpose, and providence. Its themes echo with the truths of the Christian faith. Grace and redemption show up in the darkest, most chaotic moments of these characters’ lives.

And the core theme of found family? Intentional or not, it’s very Catholic. No matter who or where you are, the Church is a family:

• The Church Militant (us here on earth)
• The Church Triumphant (the saints in heaven)
• The Church Penitent (those in purgatory)

We are surrounded at all times by prayer, by communion, by the Eucharist, by real people. The word Catholic itself comes from the Greek katholikos, meaning “universal.” From the earliest centuries, Christians have used the term to describe the wholeness and unity of the Church—a family that spans continents, generations, and even heaven and earth.

This is what Over Yonder captures so beautifully: no matter how far we might run, no matter how mad the world becomes, family is sure to find us in some form or another. Even when it’s cobbled together out of misfits and strays (which is pretty much every saint ever—“there is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future” is a quote often attributed to St. Augustine), that family can be a vessel of real, sacrificial love. The kind of love Christ has always proclaimed. The adventure and gift of life we have been granted is not just survival, but belonging.

Here’s The (Sweet) Tea

We live in the tension of the not-yet, caught between homesickness and home.

The world is thy ship, not thy home.
– St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Thankfully, our God is the God of the holy in-between.

Over Yonder sits squarely in that space. This book touches on things that matter deeply to Catholics: hope, purpose, suffering, and redemption. The in-between where God’s grace tends to show up.

Over Yonder is honest. Human. Full of humor and grit. I’d give this book 11 out of 10 stars if that were a thing in book reviews.

What got me through prison was Psalm 119:86 . . . Shortest prayer in the Bible . . . “Help me.”
– Woody Barker in Over Yonder, p. 267

We’re thrilled to welcome Sean of the South to our upcoming episode of A Resounding Yes! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Fio so you don’t miss it.

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With over eight years of experience and a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing, Marge Hynes is a dynamic writer whose portfolio spans SEO-driven copywriting, journalism, and marketing—a versatile skill set that allows her to craft compelling content for Paloma & Fig’s projects.

Marge’s Catholic faith serves as the cornerstone of her work. She approaches storytelling with thoughtfulness and a deep appreciation for the Lord’s own creative power. Her love of the written word shines through in every project, helping clients articulate their message with clarity, heart, and purpose.

When she’s not writing, Marge can be found leading praise and worship, diving into theological books, or exploring the great outdoors with her loyal dog, Augustine (Auggie for short).