Hardly Working

Tells the stories of individuals who have been forced to reexamine their attitudes toward pride, friendship, change, marriage, and revenge

The six stories in this collection are redolent of their rural West Virginia settings, a world of tenant farmers, cheating husbands, small-time entrepreneurs and hardworking poor. Thorman ( Backman's Law ) handles the complexities of human relations with wit and delicacy. Bitter humor fuels the satisfactory conclusion of the title story, wherein a would-be entrepreneur in the fish business discovers that it is feet of clay his erstwhile mentor has encased in his tight cowboy boots. Poignancy dominates the mood in two other stories: "Family Man," where we see a cheating husband take leave of his pregnant girlfriend; and "The Stradivarius," with its double theme of loss by death and betrayal. This latter is especially memorable for the subtle evolution of a simple musician's rage into charity and inner peace. Lively, engaging personalities confront the familiar complications of life in these entertaining tales.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reading a collection of previously published short stories is like cooking with kitchen-tested recipes: satisfaction is virtually guaranteed. This is the case here since five of these six stories have been published in such journals as The Virginia Quarterly and The Sewanee Review. Although Thorman is a bit heavy-handed with his themes, his characterization is impeccable. It is impossible not to get involved with characters like Billy Floyd, whose kin "never amounted to squat," and Alma Beauchamp, who "comes down pregnant." These rural Virginians are distinctly Southern, definitely delightful, as familiar as our own Aunt Agnes. Since regional flavor is fast becoming a thing of the past, it is important to document it while we can. These stories do so lovingly and humorously.
- Dorothy Golden, Georgia Southern Coll., Statesboro
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.