Indiahoma: Stories of Blues and Blessings

by A. Ray Norsworthy

Like a postmodern down and dirty Winesburg, Ohio, this book unravels the twisted knotty lives of the woeful and wondrous inhabitants of Indiahoma, Oklahoma, a small town "halfway between gone and went." In the first of ten stories, "Ifs and Buts, Candy and Nuts," the reader meets Lucas Moody, the former town mayor and Korean War veteran in his sixties, who, faced with his own mortality and a solitary Christmas with a faithless wife gone partying on a Caribbean beach and no family around him, sees no reason to "rage against the dying of the light," as Dylan Thomas urged of his father. The tale follows Lucas down a rutted country backroad to a  house in the middle of nowhere, a house, as he discovers of tragedy and miracle, where he is forced to abandon his self-pity and marital troubles in a frantic attempt to save a dying family.

Paperback

Published May 1, 2002

Reviews

[Avital · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, good stories by Archie-Ray.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indiahoma is a compilation of short stories that collectively paint a detailed, slice-of-life picture of a town riddled with poverty, hardship, and sacrifice. While there is little overlap between characters in the individual stories, and each story definitely stands alone, the overlap that does exist is meaningful and allows the collection to exist as a single cohesive work.

Every story in this collection is well crafted, carefully laid out, and brilliantly written. Not a single page falls short of the rest, each building upon the next and creating a sensual and emotional experience in a way only a true wordsmith can construct. Written in the vein of Faulkner and McCullers, Indiahoma will draw you into a world that is rich, bittersweet, and hauntingly reflective. I rate this work an enthusiastic five stars.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is well worth the read. I’ve been considering picking it up again. Short colorful small town stories and the depth in between. A personal favorite.