Daniel Woodrell is able to lend uncanny logic to harsh, even criminal, behaviour in his wrenching first collection of short fiction. Desperation - both material and psychological - motivates his characters. A husband cruelly avenges the murder of his wife's pet; an injured rapist is cared for by a young girl, until she reaches breaking point; a disturbed veteran of Iraq is murdered for his erratic behaviour; an outsider's house is set on fire by an angry neighbour.
There is also the tenderness and loyalty of the vulnerable in these stories - between spouses, parents and children, siblings and comrades in arms - which brings the troubled, sorely tested cast of characters to vivid, relatable life.
| ISBN: | 9781444735789 |
| Publication date: | 5th July 2012 |
| Author: | Daniel Woodrell |
| Publisher: | Sceptre an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 167 pages |
| Genres: |
Modern and Contemporary Fiction Shorter Reads |