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Sinners of Sanction County
Strong stories of the contemporary South by fine fiction writer. "There is a sureness to these stories that arises from an intimate and absolute understanding of the landscape from which they arise. The characters are true and wholly realized, their conflicts as urgent and as current as the daily news. Not sensationalized but forthrightly told, these stories are of the times as well the region. Here is contemporary Appalachia." - Chris Holbrook, author of Upheaval
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2011
8 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Charles Dodd White
13 books232 followersCharles Dodd White is the author of six books. He has received the Appalachian Book of the Year Award and the Chaffin Award for his fiction. His next novel, THE WORLD ITSELF, is forthcoming in 2027 from Regal House. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he teaches English at Pellissippi State Community College.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 6, 2023
Maybe 3 1/2 stars
Uneven collection of stories of the contemporary American South, of Appalachia, that speak truth; no doubt White writes what he knows - the genuineness of these stories is palpable. Stories of hardship, fathers and sons, turbulent domesticity, survival. And the writing, at times, is brilliant, poetic. At other times, overwritten with a few stories that leave you scratching your head. I'll look forward to seeing what White can do with a full length novel because there is real talent here. Undeniable talent.
Uneven collection of stories of the contemporary American South, of Appalachia, that speak truth; no doubt White writes what he knows - the genuineness of these stories is palpable. Stories of hardship, fathers and sons, turbulent domesticity, survival. And the writing, at times, is brilliant, poetic. At other times, overwritten with a few stories that leave you scratching your head. I'll look forward to seeing what White can do with a full length novel because there is real talent here. Undeniable talent.
January 10, 2022
4.5 *
All the stories in Charles Dodd White’s only short story collection, Sinners of Sanction County (2011), take place in a fictional setting that is the product of the author’s imagination, more or less, for it is based on Jackson County which does exist and is located in the southwestern corner of North Carolina.
Giving the county a different name allows White to write about an area that he is familiar with, while at the same time allowing him the freedom to create fictional places or even move some of the real towns around for the sake of a story. It also serves as the setting for his first two novels, Lambs of Men (2010) and A Shelter of Others (2014).
The area is located in both the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you have been to that part of the country I don’t have to tell you that it is one of the nation’s garden spots. White’s “sinners,” however, don’t live in Asheville or any of the other tourism magnets. Most of them don’t even live in the small isolated communities that can be found off the beaten track. They are more apt to live in cabins in the even more remote hill and holler country, places that travelers on the main highways never see or even suspect.
These stories explore some dark places, dark places in those hills and hollers, and dark places in the human psyche – so be prepared – but it is never done simply for shock value, but because it is germane to the plot.
As an example, here is the first sentence in the first story, Hawkins’s Boy:
“True, Hawkins buried his son more than once that summer.”
It would be a spoiler to tell you why he had to bury his son more than once so you will have to read the story in order to find out. The ending is a shocker, too, but I can’t divulge that either. But I will say that it is a great story that sets the tone for the other eleven stories.
Here is the opening sentence to A World of Daylight:
“Packer came home on Good Friday, watching April rain stripe the green chickenwire window of the empty Greyhound terminal, knowing that by Easter morning he would be putting his brother’s killer in the ground.”
It would be hard to set the book aside and not know how that one ended.
The only other book by White that I have read is his novel, A Shelter of Others. I liked everything about the book, beginning with the writing. That is also one of the strengths of his short fiction. For example:
Finally, here is part of the paragraph that concludes the last story in the collection:
Perfect.
All the stories in Charles Dodd White’s only short story collection, Sinners of Sanction County (2011), take place in a fictional setting that is the product of the author’s imagination, more or less, for it is based on Jackson County which does exist and is located in the southwestern corner of North Carolina.
Giving the county a different name allows White to write about an area that he is familiar with, while at the same time allowing him the freedom to create fictional places or even move some of the real towns around for the sake of a story. It also serves as the setting for his first two novels, Lambs of Men (2010) and A Shelter of Others (2014).
The area is located in both the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you have been to that part of the country I don’t have to tell you that it is one of the nation’s garden spots. White’s “sinners,” however, don’t live in Asheville or any of the other tourism magnets. Most of them don’t even live in the small isolated communities that can be found off the beaten track. They are more apt to live in cabins in the even more remote hill and holler country, places that travelers on the main highways never see or even suspect.
These stories explore some dark places, dark places in those hills and hollers, and dark places in the human psyche – so be prepared – but it is never done simply for shock value, but because it is germane to the plot.
As an example, here is the first sentence in the first story, Hawkins’s Boy:
“True, Hawkins buried his son more than once that summer.”
It would be a spoiler to tell you why he had to bury his son more than once so you will have to read the story in order to find out. The ending is a shocker, too, but I can’t divulge that either. But I will say that it is a great story that sets the tone for the other eleven stories.
Here is the opening sentence to A World of Daylight:
“Packer came home on Good Friday, watching April rain stripe the green chickenwire window of the empty Greyhound terminal, knowing that by Easter morning he would be putting his brother’s killer in the ground.”
It would be hard to set the book aside and not know how that one ended.
The only other book by White that I have read is his novel, A Shelter of Others. I liked everything about the book, beginning with the writing. That is also one of the strengths of his short fiction. For example:
Most of the Mexicans got out at the crossroads, but I drove Ernesto up to his place, the illegal trailer park out behind the back of the elementary school in Cullowhee. His family lived in a broken box that looked like something that had fallen out of the sky and been kicked across the yard by a mean kid.
Finally, here is part of the paragraph that concludes the last story in the collection:
There’s something to this valley, something when the sun anchors behind the ridgelines, a kind of finality to what happens at the unseen edge of the world, what might be uncovered or maybe turned back with one more crest, one stop further down the road.
Perfect.
August 21, 2023
The writing was beautiful and worthy of 5 stars, but the stories were so dark I could only read one a day, and had to gear my psyche up even for that. They reminded me a lot of William Gay's "I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down", another brilliantly written but very dark collection. In fact "The Paperhanger" remains to this day the darkest thing I've ever read. There were no winners here, no happy people, no redemption, but White knows his settings and the people who populate Sanction County are as real as it gets.
January 3, 2014
This compelling short story collection begins with an unforgettable commitment to silence that echoes through the reading, finishing with the arresting ‘Jack’s Gun’ and a ghost-hope for peace.
This fits right into the pocket of southern lit that I love so much, men wrestling with their blood and history, kicked up or pinned under the boot of the landscape.
The prose itself is poetic whilst remaining incredibly readable and there are passages with that mysterious cadence of mythology, particularly in the ever-so-large ‘Age of Stone’.
I’ve been privileged to read some exemplary short story collections over the last year; this one is right up there sharing the top shelf with favourites.
Highly recommend.
This fits right into the pocket of southern lit that I love so much, men wrestling with their blood and history, kicked up or pinned under the boot of the landscape.
The prose itself is poetic whilst remaining incredibly readable and there are passages with that mysterious cadence of mythology, particularly in the ever-so-large ‘Age of Stone’.
I’ve been privileged to read some exemplary short story collections over the last year; this one is right up there sharing the top shelf with favourites.
Highly recommend.
July 12, 2011
I wrote it, so I like it.
August 22, 2014
I felt really smug reading such a pleasurable and beautifully written book, knowing in advance(from reviews)that I could expect it to be good. Charles Dodd White deserves all the praise that I can heap upon him. Other readers have done a far better job with their detailed reviews than I shall. I was very pleased that there was not a weak selection in this collection of short stories about contemporary Appalachia. The writing is fearless, hard-edged, and very satisfying. In spite of the sparse style it borders on poetic.
Off the subject, but without Goodreads and the good people that share their thoughts, would I have ever found Charles Dodd White? I missed the early years of Goodreads, but now I wonder how I got by before. I am so living in the moment, and finding such joy in discovering books like this nearly every day. Out of all the developments that computers and the internet have brought, I think Goodreads and that connection to other readers is the very best!
Off the subject, but without Goodreads and the good people that share their thoughts, would I have ever found Charles Dodd White? I missed the early years of Goodreads, but now I wonder how I got by before. I am so living in the moment, and finding such joy in discovering books like this nearly every day. Out of all the developments that computers and the internet have brought, I think Goodreads and that connection to other readers is the very best!
June 2, 2014
The crowd quiets as I nervously await my destined moment of admission. The haphazardly formed circle of red acrylic seats bolted atop the cafeteria's chrome tubed chairs starts to settle. I look for familiar faces but don't find any- there may be distant acquaintances there, but my nervousness blocks any recollection. Most faces summons very low anxiety, but I have no doubt that my jitters present rather clearly; on display for all to see. I stand, less woozy and dazed than I had anticipated. The time has come to admit my habit, and with much less effort than was feared I take the first step to ownership of my weakness, "Hello, my name is Josh and I'm a short story junkie."
If that's at all your issue, this book will feed your habit. It comes as close as any I've read recently to recapturing the experiences of my first few gritty collections (William Gay and Rick Bass specifically). Unlike other offerings, this isn't 5 mediocre stories sandwiched between greatness in the first few and the last one. They're every one strong. Full of place, emotion, conflict, and guts.
My favorite might well be the last one "Jack's Gun" only because so much was in play, followed by a close second in "A World of Delight"- more in the flavor of those gritty, whiskey fueled, dysfunctional twisted shorts written in my traditional sweet-spot. "Winter by Heart" had the mysterious intrique that still allowed for a mind-blowing "WHOA" moment in its finish, and "The Sweet Sorrowful" converted humor to passion and care. If Woodrell, Rash, Pollock, Heathcock, or either of the previously mentioned authors turn your crank then get this one to the top of your stack promptly.
If that's at all your issue, this book will feed your habit. It comes as close as any I've read recently to recapturing the experiences of my first few gritty collections (William Gay and Rick Bass specifically). Unlike other offerings, this isn't 5 mediocre stories sandwiched between greatness in the first few and the last one. They're every one strong. Full of place, emotion, conflict, and guts.
My favorite might well be the last one "Jack's Gun" only because so much was in play, followed by a close second in "A World of Delight"- more in the flavor of those gritty, whiskey fueled, dysfunctional twisted shorts written in my traditional sweet-spot. "Winter by Heart" had the mysterious intrique that still allowed for a mind-blowing "WHOA" moment in its finish, and "The Sweet Sorrowful" converted humor to passion and care. If Woodrell, Rash, Pollock, Heathcock, or either of the previously mentioned authors turn your crank then get this one to the top of your stack promptly.
July 3, 2016
Very impressed with this new writer – evocative of Larry Brown and, perhaps even, Raymond Carver in describing lonely men with strained or peculiar relationships with women and histories of regret. Buddies, drinking, dogs, trucks and guns are all traditional fare in the great Smokey mountains. These are short stories with well crafted starting paragraphs and often shattering conclusions. White turns a fine phrase, and switches idioms well amongst the protagonists, demonstrating a range of personal experiences (old, young, smart, dull, angry). White’s characters are colorful, for example this one’s deaf wife “…woke him from a faint doze, working her hands in the air above his head, stitching words. Wednesday evening. The choir would be singing and she was intent that he drive her down to the church. Despite her deafness, she was always fierce about a choir. Hawkins knew there was no space for disagreement once her mind was set, so he go his hat from its nail. Together they went to the truck.” (p. 13).
White’s men spend a lot of time outdoors and his description of the elements and the land and the passing of the sun and moon are well done. The women too, unpredictable as the weather, come and go. For example, the lovely stepmother emerges from the house to help skin the recently slain bear cub: “When Alice came, she had the knives wrapped in a white hand towel. She set them aside then doubled the towel, drew her dress to her thighs and knelt on it. When Luke did not reach for the smaller knife, she took it up and slit the cub’s crotch, detaching the wormy penis and slicing up until the pale belly was bared. Then, she repeated the meridian of the cut, this time slipping the blade into the muscle and fat until the innards began to swell up through the smiling incision.” (p. 123).
The only criticism I have is the quality of publishing (typos aplenty, unprofessional author photo etc). But this didn’t distract me from the fine writing and great stories this young author produced.
White’s men spend a lot of time outdoors and his description of the elements and the land and the passing of the sun and moon are well done. The women too, unpredictable as the weather, come and go. For example, the lovely stepmother emerges from the house to help skin the recently slain bear cub: “When Alice came, she had the knives wrapped in a white hand towel. She set them aside then doubled the towel, drew her dress to her thighs and knelt on it. When Luke did not reach for the smaller knife, she took it up and slit the cub’s crotch, detaching the wormy penis and slicing up until the pale belly was bared. Then, she repeated the meridian of the cut, this time slipping the blade into the muscle and fat until the innards began to swell up through the smiling incision.” (p. 123).
The only criticism I have is the quality of publishing (typos aplenty, unprofessional author photo etc). But this didn’t distract me from the fine writing and great stories this young author produced.
July 15, 2014
Damn this one's good. Ranks right up there with the very best from Pinckney Benedict, Chris Offutt, and Breece D'J Pancake. CDW nearly wore out my pen with his prose. I couldn't hardly go a page without underlining something. This one has my highest recommendation for sure.
February 7, 2015
Parts of this short story collection are dense confections, loaded with complex, often gruffly beautiful prose, unsparing portraits of mountain life, and short, intense stories that develop maximum punch from brief vignettes. However, other parts read like the early drafts of MFA work, and contain some real groaners of plot, character, and diction. I believe White is a skillful writer, but my belief that his talent had sufficiently matured wavered throughout this brief volume. The rating I give this book is merely an average, as there are some stellar pieces within, and some that made my eyes roll skyward. I look forward to reading some of his other works to see if he tosses off some of the weaknesses that irked me here. Despite the unevenness, there are some really beautiful stories here and this book is well worth a read by fans of Appalachia, Americana, and short fiction unafraid of flirting with the line between artful and overwritten.
May 17, 2016
So, I think I said before that I don’t want to rate books that I’ve read from people I know, or at least, from people I’ve met. But usually, when I ask an author they insist they’d rather have an honest review than nothing at all… but I strongly suspect that no author thinks I would dream of ever shitting all over their book.
And I’ve thought about it some, and while I reserve the right to change my mind, or contradict myself, or forget any vows I’ve taken in the past, or future, as of right now I’ve decided an average review is better than no review. And also, I’m not going to be shitting all over this book, and another also, this was pretty good. I only have problems with this deal of mine when it’s a book I’m not that thrilled with. Then I have to weigh how much I like the author over how much I need to be honest about a review.
Then I remember that I’m the only one reading these stupid reviews, aside from the occasional lurking internet person who stumbles upon these, usually way in the future (hello, future person) and maybe the author his or herself. In which case, er, sorry, I hope we can still be friends. Or, if not friends, I hope you don’t actively work to sabotage me in any future endeavors to be a successful author myself. Honestly, maybe I shouldn’t be reviewing anyone’s works.
No, I should, the real question is whether or not I should make these public. I’d have to weigh my subtle narcissistic dream of some random person seeing this review and being like, “Damn, Mr Rusty, you’re review of this relatively obscure book is so amazing, I want to purchase any half-baked novel or novel idea you have for a zillion dollars and make movies and video games and comic books out of it, and you’ll be rich and famous and popular forever and ever… and it’s all because of your amazing review you did.”
Who am I kidding? That’s not a dream – that’s practically guaranteed to happen. I just need to keep plugging away at these reviews until the day my ship comes in…
Where was I? Oh yeah, something about having met this author. The good Prof White stopped by my writer’s group a few weeks ago to share his thoughts about writing in general, and writing stories and novels specifically. My thoughts on him? He was pretty great. He was self-effacing but still confident, he spoke like someone who knew what he was talking about and altogether seemed to have his shit together.
The book of his I just finished is a short story collection, each taking place (I think) in Sanction County. Maybe it’s in North Carolina, I’m not sure it’s stated outright, actually, I wonder if it’s a real place…
Hang on…
When I search on Google it just brings up this book, so I guess it’s a fictional place. That’s good to know, it makes the stories seem more meta, you know? They’re all connected, as best I can tell, only by this location. And again, there may be a story or two that takes place elsewhere, I just didn’t pay that much attention to the locations in the stories until just now, after it’s all over and I’ve put the book away. Regardless, with that out of the way, what did I think about the actual content of this collection?
I’m glad you asked, future movie producer, this is pretty great. I tip my hat to the author because he clearly knows what he’s doing here. As a reader of things, I’ve noted my tastes have been changing over the past few years, and the more plot heavy books are starting to feel more paint-by-numbery to me nowadays. I’m starting to prefer, I think, slightly more literary tales. That isn’t to say that something with a million dollar concept isn’t awesome to me, but I’ve just noticed that I’m becoming more interested in the characters of the stories I’m enjoying than in the big explosions and endless pages of kung fu fights. Maybe I’m growing? Probably not.
Uh, so… this is, for me, something that is skirting the line of my tastes between being expertly written and overwritten. It’s a fine line, and one I’m no expert in. But much like porn, I get this little feeling in my gut when I come across something that I think crosses that line. The very first story in this collection (I forgot the title, again, I put the book away and don’t feel like going and looking it up) I thought was more in the overwritten camp, while the very last story of the anthology was in the expertly written realm. For the most part, the stories are fascinating and extremely well written. I’d complain that most of them ended in ways I didn’t quite feel worked, at least not for me. I just said, sorta (I did, you just have to read between the lines), that I don’t need all the plot threads wrapped up perfectly in my tales, but in the case here, I think I could have used a little more in that area.
I don’t know. If you think I’m being dumb about all this then please, stop reading, because I have a lot more dumb I can spew here. While I want the more literary and character richness I see here in spades, I also want a more plot-centric story too… I want it all. Not just two of the three.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t some really powerful stories here, the one with the guy who’s out to kill his brother’s wife, the aforementioned final story on the collection, were both masterpieces in my mind. I wouldn’t change a thing. But some of the other tales, yeah, they could have used a bit more. Maybe.
In all, I’m a fan of this author, and wish him well, I’m anxious to read his novel, if he can give as much characterization and fantastic prose as he did here, and combine it with a novel worthy plot, then we might have something very special for me to read in the near future.
And I’ve thought about it some, and while I reserve the right to change my mind, or contradict myself, or forget any vows I’ve taken in the past, or future, as of right now I’ve decided an average review is better than no review. And also, I’m not going to be shitting all over this book, and another also, this was pretty good. I only have problems with this deal of mine when it’s a book I’m not that thrilled with. Then I have to weigh how much I like the author over how much I need to be honest about a review.
Then I remember that I’m the only one reading these stupid reviews, aside from the occasional lurking internet person who stumbles upon these, usually way in the future (hello, future person) and maybe the author his or herself. In which case, er, sorry, I hope we can still be friends. Or, if not friends, I hope you don’t actively work to sabotage me in any future endeavors to be a successful author myself. Honestly, maybe I shouldn’t be reviewing anyone’s works.
No, I should, the real question is whether or not I should make these public. I’d have to weigh my subtle narcissistic dream of some random person seeing this review and being like, “Damn, Mr Rusty, you’re review of this relatively obscure book is so amazing, I want to purchase any half-baked novel or novel idea you have for a zillion dollars and make movies and video games and comic books out of it, and you’ll be rich and famous and popular forever and ever… and it’s all because of your amazing review you did.”
Who am I kidding? That’s not a dream – that’s practically guaranteed to happen. I just need to keep plugging away at these reviews until the day my ship comes in…
Where was I? Oh yeah, something about having met this author. The good Prof White stopped by my writer’s group a few weeks ago to share his thoughts about writing in general, and writing stories and novels specifically. My thoughts on him? He was pretty great. He was self-effacing but still confident, he spoke like someone who knew what he was talking about and altogether seemed to have his shit together.
The book of his I just finished is a short story collection, each taking place (I think) in Sanction County. Maybe it’s in North Carolina, I’m not sure it’s stated outright, actually, I wonder if it’s a real place…
Hang on…
When I search on Google it just brings up this book, so I guess it’s a fictional place. That’s good to know, it makes the stories seem more meta, you know? They’re all connected, as best I can tell, only by this location. And again, there may be a story or two that takes place elsewhere, I just didn’t pay that much attention to the locations in the stories until just now, after it’s all over and I’ve put the book away. Regardless, with that out of the way, what did I think about the actual content of this collection?
I’m glad you asked, future movie producer, this is pretty great. I tip my hat to the author because he clearly knows what he’s doing here. As a reader of things, I’ve noted my tastes have been changing over the past few years, and the more plot heavy books are starting to feel more paint-by-numbery to me nowadays. I’m starting to prefer, I think, slightly more literary tales. That isn’t to say that something with a million dollar concept isn’t awesome to me, but I’ve just noticed that I’m becoming more interested in the characters of the stories I’m enjoying than in the big explosions and endless pages of kung fu fights. Maybe I’m growing? Probably not.
Uh, so… this is, for me, something that is skirting the line of my tastes between being expertly written and overwritten. It’s a fine line, and one I’m no expert in. But much like porn, I get this little feeling in my gut when I come across something that I think crosses that line. The very first story in this collection (I forgot the title, again, I put the book away and don’t feel like going and looking it up) I thought was more in the overwritten camp, while the very last story of the anthology was in the expertly written realm. For the most part, the stories are fascinating and extremely well written. I’d complain that most of them ended in ways I didn’t quite feel worked, at least not for me. I just said, sorta (I did, you just have to read between the lines), that I don’t need all the plot threads wrapped up perfectly in my tales, but in the case here, I think I could have used a little more in that area.
I don’t know. If you think I’m being dumb about all this then please, stop reading, because I have a lot more dumb I can spew here. While I want the more literary and character richness I see here in spades, I also want a more plot-centric story too… I want it all. Not just two of the three.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t some really powerful stories here, the one with the guy who’s out to kill his brother’s wife, the aforementioned final story on the collection, were both masterpieces in my mind. I wouldn’t change a thing. But some of the other tales, yeah, they could have used a bit more. Maybe.
In all, I’m a fan of this author, and wish him well, I’m anxious to read his novel, if he can give as much characterization and fantastic prose as he did here, and combine it with a novel worthy plot, then we might have something very special for me to read in the near future.
April 27, 2022
Gritty and poetic. The final two stories were my favorites.
November 21, 2014
“Winter by Heart” is a story I won’t soon forget, especially the ending. Wow! That story is worth the price of the book right there. Plenty of other good stories in this collection and with its sense of place and elemental descriptions of the natural world it reminds me a lot of Chris Offutt’s Kentucky Straight. What I enjoy most about White’s writing, and this is just a writerly thing, but something that makes his work sing on a level most readers might not notice, is his powerful use of nouns and verbs to describe. That attention paid to language is as impressive as it is pleasurable.
October 5, 2014
White's prose style and stories are so evocative of mountains and the people who inhabit them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
September 6, 2021
What is not to love when story after story clutches you right at the heart. This book is a gem. The writing put me right at the center of each story in that I felt I was watching from a short distance all that was happening. Not a story I did not like. Not a one that did not move me. Deep breathes at the endings of some stories. Highly recommended!
April 16, 2013
These are classically well-formed short stories in the vein of Knockemstiff (Donald Ray Pollock), Volt [Alan Heathcock), and Straight out of Kentucky (Chris Offutt) that deal with a kind of rural, upper South character that is both contemporary and timeless. The contemporary world is here but it isn't a presence in the way that say it is Bobbie Ann Mason or even Flannery O'Conner, and I think this is kind of what it shares with Knockemstiff, Volt, and Straight out of Kentucky. There are new developments, and brand names of beers and and stuff, but the stories deal with dead bodies, church, and trouble. At a certain point naturalism melts for me into a kind of timeless observation of how people have always/will always deal with each other. In particular this book has what might be called an ear for dialogue. It sounds like people from a particular place talking (North Carolina/Appalachia) -- and this dialogue is there not always to carry the scene forward but as part of the landscape. Sinners of Sanction Country brings up the Faulkner quote: "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
March 30, 2014
Dang! I would be admiring the elegant, poetic prose and masculine diction which fell like rain drops on my upturned face when---WHAM---I'd get gut punched. WTF! He just friggin' shot that cute little cub just like that? It reminded me of the scene in Old Yeller when the boy blasts a hole on his beloved dog's skull with hardly any hesitation. But Charles isn't a one-trick pony, the shocks and surprises kept coming. Sam's review was spot on describing these stories like a shotgun blast. I can't wait to get my hands on "A Shelter of Others," but I'll make due with some Cormac McCarthy in the meantime. Thanks, Charles.
February 25, 2016
a strong collection. At first, I thought these stories were each too short- but now that it's over, I think if some of them had been longer, they would have lost a sense of urgency/edge. I agree with some of the other reviews that sometimes this was a bit close to "overwritten", but in the end, I didn't mind so much.
July 22, 2013
Fantastic short story collection that has a power that grows as the reader makes his or her way through the stories. Stark and beautiful with all the force of a shotgun blast, these stories are ones to go back to, to teach, to buy for others.
May 5, 2012
Excellent collection. I highly recommend it.
For an interview with White, check out my blog: http://thestoryisthecure.blogspot.com/
For an interview with White, check out my blog: http://thestoryisthecure.blogspot.com/
September 25, 2021
2.5 stars, rounded up more for the subject matter than the quality of the writing.
- Poor people, many of them violent, on the Tennessee-NC border. Not well-covered in fiction, so nice to see stories about underrepresented people
- The best story - "Killer" in that it uses two boys on a deer hunt as an accurate representation of outcomes in most human endeavors. Did you kill the deer and bring it back so it can be rendered and we get some meat and a head to mount? No. Did you fail in the hunt? Also no
- Second best - "A World of Daylight" - you get up the nerve to go kill the woman you hold responsible for the violent drug death of your stepbrother, as one does, but since you used to love her too there's a lot of conflicting emotions. It ended as it should have, as reality would have it.
- Second worst - "Hawkin's Boy" - schlock about a dog digging up a man's half-buried son
- Worst - "Winter by Heart" - total garbage. 'Yeah, I shot a bear cub, and then did my step-mom, then she got killed by a wild animal. So I set my dad on fire and asked a hermit to cut my hands off.' This was the work of an angry 8th-grader, not a professional writer.
Overall this is an up and down collection that I can't really recommend, despite a couple of good ones.
- Poor people, many of them violent, on the Tennessee-NC border. Not well-covered in fiction, so nice to see stories about underrepresented people
- The best story - "Killer" in that it uses two boys on a deer hunt as an accurate representation of outcomes in most human endeavors. Did you kill the deer and bring it back so it can be rendered and we get some meat and a head to mount? No. Did you fail in the hunt? Also no
- Second best - "A World of Daylight" - you get up the nerve to go kill the woman you hold responsible for the violent drug death of your stepbrother, as one does, but since you used to love her too there's a lot of conflicting emotions. It ended as it should have, as reality would have it.
- Second worst - "Hawkin's Boy" - schlock about a dog digging up a man's half-buried son
- Worst - "Winter by Heart" - total garbage. 'Yeah, I shot a bear cub, and then did my step-mom, then she got killed by a wild animal. So I set my dad on fire and asked a hermit to cut my hands off.' This was the work of an angry 8th-grader, not a professional writer.
Overall this is an up and down collection that I can't really recommend, despite a couple of good ones.
May 12, 2018
Rich, gritty, powerful stories about mountain people. White's stories seize you by the throat, stop you cold in a headlight's glare, leave you dark and shivering and full of new understanding. This writer is often compared to Ron Rash, and although they walk the same territory--hard luck people in mountain places--White has a distinctive voice all his own. Recommended!
May 12, 2019
I'll give it a 4/5 stars rating, but i think it's more like a 3.5/5...or maybe a 3/5.
It's a good book and the stories are interesting and good stories, but nothing profound in my opinion.
It's a good book and the stories are interesting and good stories, but nothing profound in my opinion.
August 14, 2019
Striking and startling stories well told.
July 29, 2016
Charles Dodd White is another of my favorite writers. Another writer whose ear for language creates sublime literature, he has given us, in this collection, some of the most beautifully written stories I've read in a very long time. I reviewed this collection when it was published for the New York Journal of Books, and said, in part: "It is hard to compose a review about a writer as exceptional as Charles Dodd White. The simple existence of his writing challenges a reviewer to do better, write better, find the kind of incandescent language found on each page of Mr. White’s work.
Mocked by the banality of what can be said, a reviewer must ask: How is it possible to come within miles of any sentence Charles Dodd White writes when trying to talk about it? Superlatives are overused in our language and will not suffice. So I will say it in simple language: Buy this book. Read this book. It is masterful. It is one of the best short story collections published this year. It should win a bushel-full of awards."
The entirety of my review can be found on my NYJB page at:
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-...
Mocked by the banality of what can be said, a reviewer must ask: How is it possible to come within miles of any sentence Charles Dodd White writes when trying to talk about it? Superlatives are overused in our language and will not suffice. So I will say it in simple language: Buy this book. Read this book. It is masterful. It is one of the best short story collections published this year. It should win a bushel-full of awards."
The entirety of my review can be found on my NYJB page at:
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-...
March 31, 2012
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This is a collection of thought-provoking stories about humanity. Charles Dodd White writes characters, particularly men, who capture your imagination as he describes them. It's not a pretty picture that he paints for your mind's eye, but it is a truthful and accurate one. He writes about the pain and the sorrow and the desperation felt by those who hit rock bottom and keep falling. That's what we read here - not so much the what and the where but the who and the how and the why. We're presented with feelings, most often guilt, that either explode into actions or fade into oblivion. The subtle yet binding thread that weaves these stories together is the hopelessness and despair that each character feels, peppered occasionally by a silver lining. Sanction County is a place we enter tentatively, even nervously, and the drawback for me is that it's not a place I want to revisit once I leave.
This is a collection of thought-provoking stories about humanity. Charles Dodd White writes characters, particularly men, who capture your imagination as he describes them. It's not a pretty picture that he paints for your mind's eye, but it is a truthful and accurate one. He writes about the pain and the sorrow and the desperation felt by those who hit rock bottom and keep falling. That's what we read here - not so much the what and the where but the who and the how and the why. We're presented with feelings, most often guilt, that either explode into actions or fade into oblivion. The subtle yet binding thread that weaves these stories together is the hopelessness and despair that each character feels, peppered occasionally by a silver lining. Sanction County is a place we enter tentatively, even nervously, and the drawback for me is that it's not a place I want to revisit once I leave.
March 8, 2012
A MUST READ. YOU COULD ALMOST HEAR & SEE CHARACTERS. VERY VIVID. KUDOS!
August 11, 2012
received free from goodreads.com. LOVED THESE STORIES.
July 2, 2013
It was okay...
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