An entertaining and often hilarious novel about a sheriff's deputy in the Mississippi Delta who decides he needs to kill Leland Shaw, a WWII veteran who just escaped a mental institution. The novel is written in the first person and very much in the dialect of Junior Ray, who is racist, sexist and ignorant. This makes it sometimes difficult to read, despite its shortness. Sometimes, however, Junior Ray inadvertently provides keen insight into the human condition. The book, like its narrator, More...

I'm just not loving it. Maybe because I've known too many people like this in real life to be shocked by it or find it humorous in any way.

Not for the squeamish or politically correct, this shocking novella takes us to the Mississippi Delta during the fifties. Sheriff Junior Ray Loveblood has a story to tell--the story of how he pursued the escaped mental patient (and poet), Leland Shaw. Junior's antics, as well as his blatant racism and penchant for profanity, make for a very colorful tale.

Pritchard's grasp of the dialect is amazing--you can her Junior Ray speak. In fact, this would probably be great if read aloud. More...