This collection of stories is similar to another book I read recently, The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake. Both collections feature blue-collar characters living in remote rural areas (in this case, the Kootenay Valley in British Columbia), are written in strong stoic prose, and have individual stories that gain resonance when read together.
It's important to say that the protagonists are "bluecollars" and not "hicks -- the right-wing gun-toters who exploit our unemployment system, who pop welfare checques on dope from the Native reserve, who think beef jerky and Coke constitutes a decent lunch to pack their kids... [and] who find genuine humour in the suffering of others."
The stories didn't feature as much of the landscape as I would have liked. The stories are about the toughness of the people, My favorite piece of color was old man Crease's T-shirt that said, "Pain is only weakness leaving the body."
The book is well-titled: every story includes references to knuckles.
It's important to say that the protagonists are "bluecollars" and not "hicks -- the right-wing gun-toters who exploit our unemployment system, who pop welfare checques on dope from the Native reserve, who think beef jerky and Coke constitutes a decent lunch to pack their kids... [and] who find genuine humour in the suffering of others."
The stories didn't feature as much of the landscape as I would have liked. The stories are about the toughness of the people, My favorite piece of color was old man Crease's T-shirt that said, "Pain is only weakness leaving the body."
The book is well-titled: every story includes references to knuckles.
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