Mostly Redneck

by Rusty Barnes

Fiction. In MOSTLY REDNECK, Rusty Barnes expounds on his upbringing in disadvantaged rural northern Appalachia to deliver a mastery of country idiom and setting. In one minimalist story after another, he gives perspective and breadth to the widely misunderstood world of a people who still hunt for food, occasionally join their neighbors for church, and sometimes enjoy it when their city kin step in cow shit.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Rusty Barnes is a 2018 Derringer finalist and author of the story collections Breaking it Down (Sunnyoutside Press 2007) , Mostly Redneck (Sunnyoutside Press 2011), and Kraj The Enforcer: Stories (Shotgun Honey 2019), as well as four novels, Reckoning (Sunnyoutside Press, 2014), Ridgerunner (Shotgun Honey/Down & Out Books, 2017), Knuckledragger (Shotgun Honey/Down & Out Books 2017) and The Last Danger (Shotgun Honey/Down & Out Books 2018), His fiction, poetry and non-fiction have appeared or are forthcoming in many journals and anthologies, like Dirty Boulevard: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of Lou Reed (Down & Out Books 2018), Best Small Fictions 2015, Mystery Tribune, Goliad Review, Smokelong Quarterly, Red Rock Review, Porter Gulch Review and Post Road. His poetry collections include On Broad Sound (Nixes Mates Press, 2016) and Jesus in the Ghost Room, (Nixes Mates Press 2017). He founded and edits Tough, a journal of crime fiction and occasional reviews. Find him on Twitter @rustybarnes23

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my Year of Hick Lit and I joyfully discovered Jordan Harper, Frank Bill and Donald Ray Pollock. Rusty Barnes' collection appears to be in the same mini-genre, and kind of is, but he's a much more literary kinda guy. A lot less people lose their lives in Mostly Redneck, yeah, a few do, but not that many, and, shamefully, I was expecting more. These particular rednecks seem quite able to get through a whole day without sniffing any meth, driving off a bridge with a baby in the back seat, or vengefully tracking down a former stepfather. On the one hand I was happy for them - they live in a quieter neighbourhood than the ladies and gentlemen chronicled by Frank, Jordan and Donald. But, I dunno, I kind of missed those homicidal meth-heads....

wait. What's that noise. Hello? Who's there? Hello?

Enter a guy who looks a lot like the author Rusty Barnes. He raises the shotgun and fires. The force of the blast lifts P Bryant bodily from his seat in front of his computer. He smashes into a bookcase, the shelves splinter and an almost complete collection* of Gardner Dozois' Years Best Science Fiction cascades down. Bryant's blood mingles with distant galaxies, robots and a black hole. Two of his teeth begin an orbit around Neptune.

The review begins again.

Rusty Barnes' razor-sharp minimalist tales of hardscrabble southern life never wallow in the mindless violence other "hick lit" authors can be guilty of. Instead, they deal in character, language and circumstance, laying bare the truths of a tough society living life on its own terms. He can easily be compared to Andre Dubus II and even Raymond Carver.

..... wait. What's that shimmering over there... Huh! Oh no!...

Enter the Ghost of P Bryant

I was going to say before you gunned me down that I really love these books produced by small American publishers. They're so pretty. I wish big shot publishers could get their shit together like these little guys do. This collection is from Sunnyoutside of Buffalo and now I know who I want to publish my collected reviews! Ha! Be seeing you!

Ghost fades. Cock crows.




* the first two are long out of print and not go for insanely high prices

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, so I know this writer. But I'm writing this as a fan and not as a friend. Barnes's latest collection shines. It might not have the polish of a diamond, but of a piece of mica, found in the woods. His characters are as he himself proclaims in his brilliant title "Mostly Redneck," and fit the bill. These are stories of simple grit and grime, and are sometimes graphic in language and sex. Generally this bothers me. But like Jayne Anne Phillips, Barnes pulls it off--because he is a poet at heart and his prose sings and carries you through that rough terrain. And often the payoff is an exquisitely tender moment. My teeth ached at times with the tenderness in some of the scenes. The cover is a perfect reflection of this: John Dillinger may have been a notorious gangster, but was noted for being a sort of Robin Hood. One example of the prose:

"Carrie sat in the front seat with the overhead lamp on daubing her lips with a potent shade of red. The sky outside was the color of an old dog's mouth."

Not all stories are tender. Some are harsh. But my favorites were "Badman" and the two companion, linked stories of Jimmy and Song. When Barnes dips into that deep, raw tender place we all have in our hearts, his writing soars. I look forward to his next work.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rusty Barnes makes it look easy. In this collection of eighteen short stories, Barnes is off and running practically from the very first sentence, launching the reader headlong into his characters' lives, conflicts, romances, and dilemmas. One of my favorites, "When Sylvester Dances," about a WWII veteran on his deathbed, begins like this:

Sylvester thinks it's 1942, and he wants to go see Glenn Miller at the Tropicana. Sylvester's heard the news Glenn has enlisted, and wants to catch him one more time. He watches from his hospital bed at the woman he ought to recognize as his granddaughter prepares for battle, applies lipstick, a broad stroke of purple, having already dressed herself in his old Navy blues to go out to a disco party.

This is a poignant story—sad, yet happy too, as the confused Sylvester's life plays out before his eyes (and the reader's). We get his history, we feel his confusion, we know he's a good man, and we also know how the story will end. But Barnes does it masterfully, and the end shows the author's heart coming through in the writing. And all of this in just four pages!

Barnes accomplishes a lot in a little space. The stories in Mostly Redneck range in length from four to thirteen pages. Other standouts include "O Saddam!" in which the dictator hides from US troops in plain sight, as a nut salesman in Boston, and the woman who falls in love with him; "Two of a Kind," in which two damaged people find each other; and "Rick's Song," which has the lead character, Jimmy, taking a job at a Chinese restaurant after a life-changing car accident. His boss Rick, a jerk on the surface, is actually an intriguing character that adds another level of depth to the story. The characters are so well drawn that they (Jimmy, Rick, and Rick's daughter Song) show up again in the story "Song & Jimmy: Four Scenes."

If you're looking for short fiction, put Mostly Redneck on your list.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rusty Barnes is known to me for many years. I've read his work in workshops and published books and never, ever been disappointed. He's not only brilliant at prose, but he's a fine poet--and for me, this makes his work thoroughly distinguished, given the somewhat 'Larry Brown' aspects of his stories. However this is no Larry Brown, but a polished, educated professional who has all he needs to do it perfectly. The Editor of a fine literary magazine (Night Train), he has the chops for taking the everyday plights of everyday people and making them into art. You don't want to miss him.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve known Rusty Barnes for close to eight years and I previously have read every one of the stories found in Mostly Redneck. After absorbing the book cover to cover, my first reaction was how heavy the plots, the prose and the words were. Also, don’t let the title fool you, as rednecks are stereotypically viewed as unintelligent, Barnes is a word craftsman of the finest kind. Language, pace, place, conflict and plot are carefully considered within each story and I found myself comparing the author to writers such as Andre Dubus II and Raymond Carver, masters I respect greatly.

Story wise, if you can take a punch in the face and be able to brag about it, this is where it’s at. Teen pregnant lovers kill the fathers of their babies. People party and have sex in the woods. Scores are settled in complete beat downs. Women compete against each other for men and their own self-worth. Men want women that are unavailable or they hit the road and never come back, leaving others destroyed.

Two of the stories which stood out for me were “Rick’s Song”, where the main character, Jimmy starts a new life, one torn apart from a car accident, by taking a crappy job at a Chinese restaurant. The other story I loved was, “O, Saddam”, a fine satire, completely different than the rest of the book. (Note: The mostly in Mostly Redneck). Here, a tour guide in Boston becomes involved with Saddam Hussein, who is hiding out as a nut vendor. Barnes creates a brilliant display of humor and heaviness intertwined within the set up.

Mostly Redneck, packs a wallop and as mention full of excellent writing. The denseness of subject matter was in stark contrast to the physical length of the book (153 pages) and the smallness of the font which were both, in my opinion, too small for my want for more and my aging eyes.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my time reading a book of short stories, so had a hard time getting into it at first, but I really enjoyed it!

It's full of other people's problems and their not so pretty parts of their lives.

"When Sylvester Dances" is my favorite followed by "O Saddam!"

This is a great read, I found myself not wanting to put it down.


I won this book in a giveaway.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Rusty Barnes knows how to write a great story. This book satisfied my "grit lit" addiction and offered a good variety beyond that genre as well. It took me way too long to finally read this book but I'll definitely be looking for more of his work.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd previously read a bunch of these stories when they appeared in literary journals so it was cool to see them all in one place. I don't get the Goodreads description, though, because there is no way these are "minimalist" stories. These are maximalist stories all the way, jammed packed with people and events and tons of specific details. There is nothing minimal about them. What I love most about these stories, though, is the sense of controlled chaos. These are stories where things are happening at high velocity, even in the quiet moments. The writing is fantastic but the type size in the book is excruciatingly small - must be 6-pt type - even for my near-sighted eyes, and that made it hard to settle in and read for anything but short stretches at a time.

[Hosho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great little book from Sunnyoutside, and another great book by Rusty Barnes. A terse, and vivid collection filled with disparate and desperate lives, of frivolous choices and dire consequences. And while dark, these short stories remind us all that we've all got more in common with these so-called Rednecks than we might think.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection! Barnes gives breadth to ordinary people, often highlighting extraordinary circumstances that test their character. He gives away just enough before leaving you to ponder what will happen, in a way like Raymond Carver. His characters are gritty, yet likeable. Somehow he seems to end each of the stories in just the right place. Highly recommend!

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some nice writing in here, and these stories of down-and-out Appalachia are sometimes surprising, but for a reason I can't quite pinpoint, I got a little tired of reading them as I went on. Maybe because I've been reading a lot of work in depressing rural settings lately.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope to say more when I have more time, but this is a terrific showcase of Rusty Barnes' short stories and his particular voice. Highly recommended.

[H]

Review can be found here, at NewPages http://www.newpages.com/bookreviews/2....

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every short story in this collection is perfect. I want to use it for my fiction classes. These characters will break your heart.

[Carla McClure · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book partly because I liked the title but mostly because of comparisons to Breece Pancake. Although both writers give us characters who live in rural areas and are down on their luck, Barnes’ stories seem quite different from Pancake’s. For one thing, in Pancake’s world, place is as much a character as person, and the characters & the land are often locked in a love/hate relationship: stay or go? But Barnes’ characters seem adrift in the world, with no people or places connecting/imprisoning them. Also, Barnes’ stories are higher on the rawness/crudeness scale. For the most part, I didn’t connect emotionally with the stories. I know it’s unfair to judge them based based on how similar they are (or aren’t) to Pancake’s, but that was my frame of reference, going in. Certainly there’s no shortage of inventive language & unique characters. Most readers rated the stories higher than I did, so either I’m missing something or it’s just personal taste.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, these stories have punch, they cut like a sling blade right at the heart of the human condition. They put a very believable face on that small town America that most hide from, the reasons people check that the door is locked before bed. Don't get me wrong this is no book of horror stories just a book about people, that is scary enough.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rusty Barnes's prose rings like a hammer on an anvil...these masterful stories are full of uncomfortable truths about how we humans try (and often fail) to get along, particularly the rugged folks who live in Appalachian America. His story-telling reminds me a bit of Carver, but Barnes's people are tougher than Carver's ever thought to be - which is a good thing.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read of recent. Really descriptive bursts of dark and light vignettes...leaving the reader witness to small home movies of the rough-around-the edges, the not-so-pretty, defeat and perseverance...often without resolve.

[Eric Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to haggle the publisher to get this book; I was just getting into writing seriously and Rusty Barnes was a guy I kept seeing everywhere while looking for magazines I was interested sending work to. Well, the guy's brilliant and this is a good book.

[Paul McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every now and then it is nice to read a book of short stories. As usual some are better than others, but this author does a wonderful job placing the reader perfectly in the time and place of these stories.

[Bonnie ZoBell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite book with delicious stories. A good idea of what the poor South is like--not at all unintelligent, just poor. These stories sing.

[Karen Heuler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong, powerful, honest stories.