Cindy's review
Knockemstiff
by Donald Ray Pollock
Cindy's review
Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
Cindy's review
rating:
bookshelves:
books-read-in-2008
This a collection of short stories of interconnected characters of a period of decades. There are no real dates attributed to the stories, but rather vague references by way of cars, movies, etc. I really liked it and finished it in a couple of evenings.
This is not really the type of book I would normally like, the characters are just utterly hopeless, joyless, and completely dismal. After hearing about this book, I was intrigued, being from Ohio, and Knockemstiff is an actual town is rural southern Ohio, a town that the writer is from.
There is no redemption, there are no happy endings. I kept reading, waiting for it for that one ray of light to break through the despair, but it doesn't happen. Even so, I couldn't put it down. I guess it's like passing by a car wreck on the highway... you just have to look.
Donald Ray Pollock is an extremely gifted writer and although this is certainly not a feel good book, it will stay with you long after you have read it.
This is not really the type of book I would normally like, the characters are just utterly hopeless, joyless, and completely dismal. After hearing about this book, I was intrigued, being from Ohio, and Knockemstiff is an actual town is rural southern Ohio, a town that the writer is from.
There is no redemption, there are no happy endings. I kept reading, waiting for it for that one ray of light to break through the despair, but it doesn't happen. Even so, I couldn't put it down. I guess it's like passing by a car wreck on the highway... you just have to look.
Donald Ray Pollock is an extremely gifted writer and although this is certainly not a feel good book, it will stay with you long after you have read it.
