<![CDATA[Knockemstiff]]>

false <![CDATA[Knockemstiff]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1187145720m/1704719.jpg 1704719 3 Spanning a period from the mid-sixties to the late nineties, the stories in KNOCKEMSTIFF feature a cast of recurring characters who are woebegone, baffled, and depraved—but irresistibly, undeniably real. Rendered in the American vernacular with vivid imagery and a wry, dark sense of humor, these thwarted and sometimes violent lives jump off the page at the reader with inexorable force. A father pumps his son full of steroids so he can vicariously relive his days as a perpetual runner-up body builder. A psychotic rural recluse comes upon two siblings committing incest and feels compelled to take action. Donald Ray Pollock presents his characters and the sordid goings-on with a stern intelligence and a bracing absence of value judgments. With artistic sensibilities reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor and Harry Crews, Pollock offers a powerful work of fiction in the classic American vein. KNOCKEMSTIFF is a genuine entry into the literature of place. 1701841 18 3 2008 Knockemstiff total:544|5:9|4:5|3:10|2:4|1:2| 544 2055 982 196 4 5 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 20 11:59:03 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 04 19:01:00 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 4 false false Wed May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 29 20:20:21 -0800 2007 Wed May 07 23:52:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 05 12:12:18 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 06 15:50:26 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sat May 24 16:04:41 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 07:25:25 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sat Apr 26 08:18:30 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 13 16:54:53 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 13 16:57:19 -0700 2008 4 1 false false Sun Oct 19 12:29:21 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 19 12:53:38 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu May 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun May 25 22:08:46 -0700 2008 Sun May 25 23:06:09 -0700 2008
...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu May 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 18 22:46:14 -0700 2008 Thu May 15 22:04:34 -0700 2008 “Forgetting our lives might be the best we’ll ever do."

The stories found In “Knockemstiff,” Donald Ray Pollock’s raw and powerful literary debut, are not for the faint of heart. Brutal and uncompromising, they capture the hardscrabble lives of the residents of Knockemst...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Feb 13 03:55:02 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 19 17:51:15 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 24 16:05:18 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 24 16:05:18 -0700 2008 I grew up in Cincinnati, and whenever I read Raymond Carver, all the characters seemed to speak to me with an Appalachian accent. Wrong of course, but it felt right to me.

Now here comes Pollock's "Knockemstiff," set in the hopeless oxycontin hollers of Southern Ohio, and...more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Feb 22 16:50:52 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 16:51:35 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Sep 24 15:12:16 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 24 15:18:06 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jun 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat May 17 08:05:58 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 15:25:22 -0700 2008
These are dark stories. Looking for a pick-me-up? Go somewhere else. L...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jul 26 10:32:07 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 10:39:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Feb 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 11:31:55 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 23:52:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Apr 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 05:51:22 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 05:38:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 18:05:24 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 22:14:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:55:28 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:55:28 -0800 2009 Critics agree that Knockemstiff is an outstanding debut, one born of experience. Pollock, who grew up in Knockemstiff, dropped out of high school to work in a meatpacking plant and then worked for 30 years in a paper mill. He turned to writing after he quit "drinking and drugging" and enro...

more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Jun 09 20:50:56 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 13 09:57:29 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 24 21:54:58 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 20:17:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1704719