Synopsis
Blunt, brutal, but infused with a deep sympathy, Knockemstiff is a pitch-dark and hilarious collection of stories set in a tiny town in Southern Ohio.
The youth of Knockemstiff grow up in the malignant shadow of their parents; raised on abuse, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, they are stunted in every possible way: emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. They talk a lot about escape but they never so much as cross the county line.
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Review
Amazon Significant Seven, March 2008: A quick Internet search for "Knockemstiff, Ohio" reveals a lazy nexus of shabby houses and dirt roads in southern Ohio, lacking a post office and grocery store, but rich in legends of epic fistfights and swamp-dwelling ghosts. Donald Ray Pollock, a native of this "ghost town," populates his own Knockemstiff with living revenants: huffers, murderers, sex fiends, and their hapless (though not innocent) victims, all tethered to the woebegone "holler" by their own self-inflicted shortcomings and depravities. Pollock pulls no punches--his prose is blunt and visceral, as well as stylish and skilled--and reading these mini grand guignols can be like crunching on a mouthful of your own broken teeth. He resists casting judgment (or sympathy) on his doomed reprobates; predator or prey (or sometimes both), Pollock contemplates his characters with all the warmth of a "frozen bleach bottle." It's an astonishing debut. --Jon Foro
About the Author
DONALD RAY POLLOCK grew up in Knockemstiff, Ohio. He dropped out of high school to work in a meatpacking plant and then spent over thirty years employed in a paper mill in southern Ohio. Currently, he is a graduate student in the MFA program at Ohio State University. His stories have appeared in the Berkeley Fiction Review, the Journal, Third Coast, Chiron Review, Sou’wester, Boulevard, and Folio, and he has contributed essays on politics to the op-ed page of the New York Times.
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Knockemstiff (Paperback)
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Vintage Publishing, London, 2009
ISBN 10: 0099520974
ISBN 13: 9780099520979
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Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Knockemstiff is the world of Vernon God Little by a writer who depicts poor America like no other. Donald Ray Pollock is an astonishing new voice in American fiction.Blunt, brutal, but infused with a deep sympathy, Knockemstiff is a pitch-dark and hilarious collection of stories set in a tiny town in Southern Ohio.The youth of Knockemstiff grow up in the malignant shadow of their parents; raised on abuse, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, they are stunted in every possible way- emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. They talk a lot about escape but they never so much as cross the county line. Blunt, brutal, but infused with a deep sympathy, Knockemstiff is a pitch-dark and hilarious collection of stories set in a tiny town in Southern Ohio.The youth of Knockemstiff grow up in the malignant shadow of their parents; Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099520979
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Knockemstiff
Seller: Rarewaves.com USA, London, LONDO, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: New. Blunt, brutal, but infused with a deep sympathy, Knockemstiff is a pitch-dark and hilarious collection of stories set in a tiny town in Southern Ohio.The youth of Knockemstiff grow up in the malignant shadow of their parents; raised on abuse, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, they are stunted in every possible way: emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. They talk a lot about escape but they never so much as cross the county line. Seller Inventory # LU-9780099520979
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Knockemstiff
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Knockemstiff, English edition
Seller: Bookbot, Prague, Czech Republic
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Softcover. Condition: Fine. Leichte Abnutzungen; Farbveränderung durch Alter/Sonne. KNOCKEMSTIFF is a pitch-dark and often hilarious collection of stories set in the tiny Appalachian town of Knockemstiff, Ohio, a community so deprived and diminished it no longer appears on any map. The youth of Knockemstiff grow up in the malignant shadow of their parents; raised on abuse, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, they are stunted in every possible way: emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. They talk a lot about escape but they never so much as cross the county line. The stories in KNOCKEMSTIFF are simple and compact, blunt and brutal, but are also infused with a deep sympathy for the incapacitating loneliness of poverty, neglect and severely limited horizons. KNOCKEMSTIFF is a human, very funny and unforgettable debut from a stunning new voice in American fiction. Seller Inventory # 01bb1d64-334f-465e-b28d-ab27e640309a
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Knockemstiff: Pollock Donald Ray
Seller: Kennys Bookstore, Olney, MD, U.S.A.
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Condition: New. 2009. 1st Edition. paperback. A collection of stories set in the tiny Appalachian town of Knockemstiff, Ohio, a community so deprived and diminished it does not appear on any map. The youth there grow up in the malignant shadow of their parents; raised on abuse, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, they are stunted in every possible way: emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. Num Pages: 224 pages, map. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 179 x 197 x 15. Weight in Grams: 166. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780099520979
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Knockemstiff: Pollock Donald Ray
Seller: Kennys Bookshop and Art Galleries Ltd., Galway, GY, Ireland
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Condition: New. 2009. 1st Edition. paperback. A collection of stories set in the tiny Appalachian town of Knockemstiff, Ohio, a community so deprived and diminished it does not appear on any map. The youth there grow up in the malignant shadow of their parents; raised on abuse, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, they are stunted in every possible way: emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. Num Pages: 224 pages, map. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 179 x 197 x 15. Weight in Grams: 166. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099520979
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Knockemstiff: Pollock Donald Ray
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