Set in a barbecue restaurant, Smoke Meat, in Kansas City, this is not for vegetarians or atheists. Despite Kansas being a big place the world of Smoke Meat has a small-town feel with everyone knowing and – more or less – liking everyone else regardless of racial and economic differences. Worgul builds up layered portraits of his characters’ lives in short chapters written in an easy, conversational style. We get tragedy and drama as well as affectionate accounts of day-to-day events, a good smattering of homespun philosophy and plenty of religion. A charming portrait of a certain kind of American life.
An epic American redemption tale about love and loss, hope and despair, God and whiskey, barbecue and the blues. LaVerne Williams is a ruined ex-big league ballplayer, an ex-felon with an attitude problem, and the owner of a barbecue joint he has to run. Ferguson Glen is an Episcopal priest, a fading literary star with a drinking problem, and a past he is running from. A.B. Clayton and Sammy Merzeti are two lost souls in need of love, understanding, and another cigarette. Hilarious and heart-rending, sacred and profane, this book marks the emergence of a vital new voice in American fiction.
