A review by tasharobinson
Welcome to Hard Times by E.L. Doctorow

4.0

I've never read Doctorow, but I picked this one up because Stephen King's latest book heavily praises Doctorow and JD MacDonald — and reading this book, I feel like I understand more about where King's voice comes from. This is more of a Western than a horror story, but much like King's work, it bleeds across genres, and there certainly is a strong horror element in the descriptions of death and destruction in a small town, and the privation and madness that follows, and the heavy sense of inevitability after that. This is a lean, simple book, but it's descriptive and "voice-y" for all that, with a strong sense of place and character. Reminded me of Daniel Woodrell a fair bit.