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A review by briandice
Out of the Woods: Stories by Chris Offutt
5.0
When I picked up this collection of stories by Offutt my mind went to the place of safety that the title implies. And then I remembered that this is Chris Offutt here and that it was highly unlikely that the eight stories would provide images of the better part of humanity overcoming its own condition.
Offutt writes without filigree, his sentences are raw and stories brutal. While violence makes a constant appearance in his works it isn't displayed with flash; violence is a part of the natural world to the people of the wooded mountains surrounding Rocksalt, Kentucky. Violence means that you get to eat today, right an injustice or just a reminder that this isn't a safe planet.
I love what Offutt does with these stories and how they all tie back to the title. One of the best here, "Barred Owl", does a perfect job convincing the reader that for some to be out of the woods is the beginning of real pain, incalculable trouble.
Offutt writes without filigree, his sentences are raw and stories brutal. While violence makes a constant appearance in his works it isn't displayed with flash; violence is a part of the natural world to the people of the wooded mountains surrounding Rocksalt, Kentucky. Violence means that you get to eat today, right an injustice or just a reminder that this isn't a safe planet.
I love what Offutt does with these stories and how they all tie back to the title. One of the best here, "Barred Owl", does a perfect job convincing the reader that for some to be out of the woods is the beginning of real pain, incalculable trouble.