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16th out of 38 books
—
7 voters
In the Devil's Territory
by
Kyle Minor (Goodreads Author)
A collection of stories and novellas about the choices we face and where those decisions lead us, including “A Day Meant to Do Less,” a Best American Mystery Stories 2008 selection.
A schoolteacher escapes East Berlin at night, swimming the Spree River three times carrying elderly relatives on her back, so she can make her way to West Palm Beach, Florida, and “ruin the live...more
A schoolteacher escapes East Berlin at night, swimming the Spree River three times carrying elderly relatives on her back, so she can make her way to West Palm Beach, Florida, and “ruin the live...more
Paperback, 220 pages
Published
November 1st 2008
by Dzanc Books
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i have gotten out of the habit of reviewing, so forgive me if i do it all wrong.
this book was not what i was expecting at all, and this time, that is a good thing.
my recent foray into the short story has introduced me to collections like Crimes in Southern Indiana: Stories and Knockemstiff, and judging by the blurbs, i thought that this was going to be like those stories; brutal little pieces about people scraping by, turning to crime and living hardscrabble lives of desperation. but those stori...more
I had to buy this when I read the Short Review's assessment:
Everyone who reads or writes short fiction should take a look at this debut collection. Missing out on it would be like missing out on Greene, Carver, Munro, the greats he cites as his influences whose talent he already matches. His writing makes one newly, keenly aware how rare such talent is. Award it – buy the book.
Already matches Greene, Carver & Munro, fuck me the man must be a God. I'll let you know...
yes some of the stories...more
Everyone who reads or writes short fiction should take a look at this debut collection. Missing out on it would be like missing out on Greene, Carver, Munro, the greats he cites as his influences whose talent he already matches. His writing makes one newly, keenly aware how rare such talent is. Award it – buy the book.
Already matches Greene, Carver & Munro, fuck me the man must be a God. I'll let you know...
yes some of the stories...more
An absolutely stunning piece of fiction. The stories within are the kind that force a reader to pause after reading and consider what's just happened on the page. Like the best kind of literature, In The Devil's Territory introduce characters making tough and ultimately painful decisions that reveal their strengths and weaknesses. The actions are captivating, the insights are meaningful, and the endings are always real (i.e., not always happy). Read this book and involve yourself in life.
Blew me away. Seriously. I had not expected a book from a small publisher to compare favorably with the Andre Dubus or Alice Munro or Jhumpa Lahiri collections I love. But In the Devil's Territory does.
The first thing to notice about the book is the way the author is very, very bold about form. The opening story (San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Party) is a first person, single motion story about a single character, and covers a very short span of time. The second story (A Day Meant...more
The first thing to notice about the book is the way the author is very, very bold about form. The opening story (San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Party) is a first person, single motion story about a single character, and covers a very short span of time. The second story (A Day Meant...more
In the Devil’s Territory is a collection of stories by an original and gutsy writer who explores the darkest corners of the human mind but doesn’t feel obligated to comfort the reader with resolution. It’s as if he means to say, Life is fragile, there is tragedy and injustice and banality. Those who know us best may not know much.
Minor’s stories do not end with an hopeful lessons learned. Some endings are so abrupt they feel like falling off a cliff. But in the descent the reader understands sh...more
Minor’s stories do not end with an hopeful lessons learned. Some endings are so abrupt they feel like falling off a cliff. But in the descent the reader understands sh...more
blurbed by donald ray pollock, benjamin percy, erin mcgraw, and edward falco, all great and gritty novelists/short story writers. reviewed by karen and given tres estrellas, and seems hand made just for mariel and her strange, sad florida. so one story got in the "best american mystery stories 2008" which is nice, and published by dzanc books, which is nice. but what can i say, compelling stories of fucked up southern baptists, evangelicals, marital cheaters, family dealers, wife beaters, racist...more
This book made me cry at least six times. In the opening story where the women go upstairs and leave the men alone, at the end of the second story where the woman is dying and the son doesn't know it's because she thinks he is the boy who hurt her in the tobacco field, in the third story where the man realizes he doesn't know if he will leave his wife, in the fourth story where the boy and his father paint over the words onthe interstate, in the fifth story where the woman looks at her body in t...more
Holy shit wow, this was one of the most incredible things I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down, I was completely absorbed, it caused me to feel things deeply, and I feel that I will at some future point recall reading this collection and summon residual bits of those feelings, like the book will leave an imprint. I was really struck by the empathy Minor feels for his characters, all of them, and these stories are about the real shit in their lives, real trauma, miscommunication and d...more
In his debut collection, Kyle Minor displays serious writing chops and a real talent for developing strong stories with memorable themes and characters that resonate beyond their reading.
“In the Devil’s Territory” is composed of four traditional-length shorts and two novella-length stories. Like the stories of William Gay, there’s a dark grittiness common to several, particularly “A Day Meant to Do Less” and “goodbye Hills, hello night,” which include the recounting of violent scenes in past an...more
“In the Devil’s Territory” is composed of four traditional-length shorts and two novella-length stories. Like the stories of William Gay, there’s a dark grittiness common to several, particularly “A Day Meant to Do Less” and “goodbye Hills, hello night,” which include the recounting of violent scenes in past an...more
In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll admit that Kyle Minor is an online writing friend. That being said, this book thoroughly deserves five stars. Kyle Minor is one of those young writers you keep hearing about--and he's worth all the hype. One of the longer stories in this book, actually a novella, called "A Day Meant to Do Less" was a selection for Best American Mystery Stories in 2008. What I found most beautiful were the intertwining stories with recurring characters. I absolutely loved th...more
This one hurt me bad. The stories sneak up on you. The people are trying so hard & terrible things are keeping them from getting what they want. A dying baby, a rape in a tobacco field, a woman with visions of her attacker as she is dying, a murderer and his father trying to clean up the memorial to the victim, a married gay preacher choosing to stay in the closet, and most of all a true force of evil in an East German teacher who escapes communism to terrorize boys in Florida. I keep thinki...more
Amazing. I really can't say anything beyond that. It's one you MUST read. Each story is compelling and leaves you feeling raw as you come to terms with the emotions conjured.
I had the privilege of hearing Kyle read in Fayetteville at Nightbird Books last winter. It was a rare experience. All 3 authors hit the perfect notes on a cold winter night.
I had the privilege of hearing Kyle read in Fayetteville at Nightbird Books last winter. It was a rare experience. All 3 authors hit the perfect notes on a cold winter night.
An inconsistent collection of mostly depressing stories. The writing itself is pretty unremarkable. Reads like a grad student's thesis. Ultimately, pretty forgettable stuff.
Really well-done stories. Fascinating characters. Great use of dialect. I'll be on the lookout for more from Kyle Minor, a major new talent.
This book made me feel very sad. I could not put the stories out of my mind when it was done. It must be the work of a genius.
The rare indie book that is as good as the big books. I will remember this one for a long time.
This is an incredible writer. I cant suggest this book enough. The people and their emotions, the writing and the originality of the stories.
oh wow did this book trip me up crying for days
This book broke me in half.
A powerful writer.
I was reminded when reading these stories of the old trick where a magician keeps pulling and pulling a handkerchief from his/her sleeve, but the handkerchief never seems to end and the magician just keeps on pulling. These stories just seemed like that. They just kept going and going, the weaving just getting thicker as I went further in. Minor takes the reader so far into the mind's of so many different characters. It really is an experience, and a hell of a collection.
This collection was different than I expected, but not at all in a bad way. Minor's writing certainly lives up to all I'd heard and read about it. I look forward to reading whatever he does next.
Very enjoyable. Reminded me a bit of Dan Chaon.
Will have a review and interview with the author up at the blog in the next couple of weeks.
Almost finished it straight through in one sitting - looking forward to the next book!
May 14, 2013
Veronika
added it
May 01, 2013
Michelle
marked it as to-read
Apr 21, 2013
Iroulito91
marked it as to-read
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Kyle Minor is the author of In the Devil’s Territory, a collection of stories and novellas. He is the winner of the 2012 Iowa Review Prize for Short Fiction and the Tara M. Kroger Prize for Short Fiction, one of Random House’s Best New Voices of 2006,and a three-time honoree in the Atlantic Monthly contest. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, The Gettysburg Review, The Iowa Review, Best...more
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Oct 22, 2012 11:36am
Oct 22, 2012 03:05pm