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A review by billymac1962
Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
4.0
I'm glad it's over.
Knockemstiff is Donald Ray Pollock's first publication, comprising of
several vignettes of the residents of Knockemstiff, Ohio. This is a sad
place, populated by what can only be described as white trash hillbillies.
Drug use is rampant, as is deviant sexuality, and while I am in no way
a prude or naive in the ways of various intoxicants, by the time I
finished this collection I couldn't take any more. The best thing about
this reading experience was being able to put it down and appreciate
the richness of the life I have.
But, admittedly, the book is a series of train wrecks that you can hardly look away from. I mean, my God, Bactine??? Where does he get this stuff?
Pollock's method of engagement is by making the reader wonder what the hell he's going to come up with on the next page.
This collection is a tough one to recommend. It's very bleak, with little to no hope for these troubled souls. If you're prone to depression, or your life is in a tailspin, I'd say avoid it. If not, then dive in and vicariously live some lives of depravity and be thankful that you can pop back in to the real world at your leisure.
Personally speaking, I did enjoy the trips enough to give this four stars.
But I highly recommend reading [b:The Devil All the Time|10108463|The Devil All the Time|Donald Ray Pollock|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320561517s/10108463.jpg|15005760] first. This is also set in the same town, and with the same level of depravity, but brilliantly conceived. I'm so glad that my first visit to Knockemstiff was with that book: my depravity meter would have been burned out otherwise.
Knockemstiff is Donald Ray Pollock's first publication, comprising of
several vignettes of the residents of Knockemstiff, Ohio. This is a sad
place, populated by what can only be described as white trash hillbillies.
Drug use is rampant, as is deviant sexuality, and while I am in no way
a prude or naive in the ways of various intoxicants, by the time I
finished this collection I couldn't take any more. The best thing about
this reading experience was being able to put it down and appreciate
the richness of the life I have.
But, admittedly, the book is a series of train wrecks that you can hardly look away from. I mean, my God, Bactine??? Where does he get this stuff?
Pollock's method of engagement is by making the reader wonder what the hell he's going to come up with on the next page.
This collection is a tough one to recommend. It's very bleak, with little to no hope for these troubled souls. If you're prone to depression, or your life is in a tailspin, I'd say avoid it. If not, then dive in and vicariously live some lives of depravity and be thankful that you can pop back in to the real world at your leisure.
Personally speaking, I did enjoy the trips enough to give this four stars.
But I highly recommend reading [b:The Devil All the Time|10108463|The Devil All the Time|Donald Ray Pollock|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320561517s/10108463.jpg|15005760] first. This is also set in the same town, and with the same level of depravity, but brilliantly conceived. I'm so glad that my first visit to Knockemstiff was with that book: my depravity meter would have been burned out otherwise.