The Loneliest Road in America: Stories - Softcover

Parvin, Roy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811814351 ISBN 13: 9780811814355

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1997

Synopsis

A thoroughly fresh voice and a rarely observed rural world come together in this extraordinary debut collection. The stories revolve around a small town in the Trinity Mountains of Northern California and the people who live there -- or flee. Caught between the fantastic and the real, existing on the fringes of mainstream society, these characters include a solitary marijuana grower who must deal with an intruder in his garden, a mystical Native American whose camp is about to be destroyed by loggers, a wanderer who finds a mentor in the wilderness, and other strange, beautiful, and haunting men and women. The driving lyricism of his writing, arresting originality of the subjects and landscapes, and insights into human nature mark this launch of a brilliant writer's career.

About this title

Review:

The Loneliest Road in America runs straight through the lives of characters whose isolation goes beyond the geographical. Set mostly in the wilderness of northern California's Trinity Alps, this collection of short stories by Roy Parvin delves into the psyches of people who have placed themselves both physically and spiritually outside the normal range of social intercourse. In "Smoke", a lone marijuana farmer grows his illicit crop deep within the Trinity National Forest; In "Trapline", a closeted homosexual forest ranger exorcises both his grief at the death of a friend and his own personal demons by poaching; the narrator of "Darkness Runs" finds that being one-quarter Native American doesn't prepare him for the realities of Indian life in the Trinities.

The characters in Mr. Parvin's stories have all known loss, but they haven't given up hope; and even the darkest moments are leavened with small instances of perfection: the smell of burning leaves on an autumn day, a flute pouring out music in the wilderness, the spark of electricity in the still of a desert night.

About the Author:

Roy Parvin alternates between the Trinity Alps and San Francisco. His stories have appeared in The Quarterly, Northwest Review, and other literary magazines. This is his first book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0811814351
• ISBN 13: 9780811814355
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 193