Kick In the Head: Stories

by Steven Rinehart

The stories in this collection establish Steven Rinehart as a master of observation with an uncanny ability plumb to the psyche of that most perplexing beast, the American male, and to create infuriatingly real characters who find themselves in hilariously scary situations.

A man who's finally enjoying his first sex-only relationship destroys it by clinging to a white lie. Another, who has long pined for his best friend's girlfriend finally has his chance, but has to contend with her trigger-happy brother. From the high school teacher battling his attraction to a troubled student to the man who becomes a conspirator in a violent outburst in a bar, these are guys who have a lot to learn-and seem to insist on doing so the hard way.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Oriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh. This book was much better I expected. I'm not sure what's up with the punk-lite hipster on the cover, because these stories are about hicks and philanderers and and drunks and guns and motorcycles and children drowning in pools.

As with any collection, the stories are uneven, and as I always always always say when I finish a book of short stories, the best ones made me really upset when they ended. The terrific-est by far were "Make Me" (two teachers who used to be together have broken up because they're each in love with one of their students – who also used to be together. Since the students broke up, the girl has gone on hunger strike, and the boy has begun an affair with the lady teacher) and the title story (a young-ish guy is tentatively having an affair with a married diabetic veterinarian who "forgets" to take her insulin and goes out of her head in a very very sexy/dangerous way), each of which could easily easily have been stretched into novels that I would have loved to read.

Anyway, nicely done.

[Zack Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this while living in a fifth-wheel on the skirts of town, frequenting a dive-bar along the Utah-Wyoming border, and constantly thinking, "I Hate My Life." Then catching the bit about watching a BYU game in a bar, it all hit. I compare it to Proulx but, it has it's own language. If you are demented, depressed, or an orphan of the american dream, check it out.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive debut collection of short stories by a writer to keep an eye on. Each of these stories had elements that made me wince and I mean that in a good way. Rinehart examines in close-up detail the basest of human foibles with humor and pathos.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my between-books "palate cleanser." It's pretty good. I picked it up because the author is Midwestern -- represent.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good collection of short stories.

[Clay · Rating 1 out of 5]

it looked like it would be an interesting collection of short stories. when i finally picked it up the writing was choppy and hard to follow with zero depth.

[Biff Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it but the stories all felt like the last paragraph was written first and the stories were around them. Fun to read though!