Hull Creek: A Novel of the Maine Coast - Hardcover

Nichols, Jim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892729155 ISBN 13: 9780892729159

Publisher: Down East Books, 2011

Synopsis

After the death of his parents, Troy Hull left college to take on his family's traditional lobster-fishing life. But after a few good years, he finds himself threatened with the loss of that life, a result of some bad choices and the changing nature of his hometown. Troy's best friend, also a lobster fisherman, has found his own shady methods to deal with a similar situation, and now Troy must decide whether to follow his pal's outlaw path to solvency or let the straight-and-narrow take him from his beloved home forever. Throw in a run-away wife, a wicked city woman, a wild melee where a big-shot TV host and crew get tossed into the chilly harbor, and a drug deal gone bad, and you have Hull Creek: a timely and rowdy story of the Maine coast.

About this title

About the Author

Jim Nichols has published work in numerous venues, including Esquire, elimae, Night Train, Narrative, Portland Monthly, Zoetrope ASE, Clackamas, River City, American Fiction and paris transcontinental. He has won the Willamette Prize for Fiction and his collection Slow Monkeys and Other Stories was published by Carnegie Mellon Press in 2002.

Review

"Nichols is a masterful storyteller, creating a gripping tale of suspense, vividly exposing the social and economic divisions between locals and outsiders -- and the good and bad decisions they both make -- with sharply defined characters, snappy dialogue and an exciting, satisfying conclusion that really isn't a happy ending at all." -- Bill Bushnell, The Kennebec Journal

"Hull Creek is a devastating indictment of the forces that can and do ally to try to separate a hard-working Mainer from his multi-generational family home, but it's not a piece of message fiction. It's way beyond that; it's a great story..." --Nancy Griffin, The Free Press

"Nichols ...writes plainly, powerfully and with firsthand knowledge...His midcoast is populated with characters that ring true - clammers, barkeepers, violent brutes, piratical schemers and Eddie Cranberry, a giant man reminiscent of Steinbeck's Lennie Small, only smellier. Hull Creek is a delightful read and, for those new to the coast, highly informative." --Colin Woodard, Working Waterfront

"When (the swanks) get their comeuppance, you'll want to cheer - I had to suppress the yell that climbed up my throat as I was reading - but that's not the end of the story. There's still one more nail-biting drug escapade, and the swanks don't give up easily, especially since they've got the law on their side...Hull Creek is a good read and an important book that movingly dramatizes the plight of Maine's fishing families and the pressures that tourism and real estate speculation put on working waterfront communities." --Chris Busby, The Bollard

"The strongest aspect of the novel is Nichols' ability to bring his fictional people to life through entertaining, candid dialogue... his layered story will appeal to a variety of people - especially those who know Maine well. The fictional fiddleheads, shags and small-town atmosphere and will lead any Mainer to believe that Troy Hull could be walking by outside their own windows." --Aislinn Sarnaki, Bangor Daily News

"...Nichols manages to infuse Troy's tale with a healthy dose of humor. The story, the characters, and the conversations they have feel real. And if "Hull Creek" doesn't have a storybook ending, well, so much the better. It's a realistic ending, bittersweet perhaps, but Troy finds a way to keep his dignity, keep fishing, and build an even more fulfilling life for himself..." --Linc Bedrosian, National Fisherman

"Maine's roots are here, and they are well worth our time and attention. 'Hull Creek' uses a suspenseful tale of change to show us that prosperity may be found in the paved driveways that lead to swanky summer homes, but nobility often lives in a trailer parked not far away on a dirt road with a sense of the past and a wide view of the water." -Nancy Grape, Portland Sunday Telegram Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Down East Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0892729155
• ISBN 13: 9780892729159
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256