Bad Ground

by Quintin Overocker

Bad Ground follows Dan Halofcak as he clears brush on a future subdivision, his first steady job in over a year. When he’s not working, he drinks with the town’s degenerates: a permanently unemployed man living in a shack with his dog; a former drug addict who claims to have witnessed a squirrel migration; and a bar owner addicted to his own video poker machines.

The book opens the morning after Dan’s drunken fistfight with his father, the first contact they’ve had in thirty years. The rest of the summer Dan struggles to define home and family without any semblance of either. As Dan clears the land, a plot he’s idealized as the last best place in town, he uncovers a gruesome image of pain and lost possibility. His drinking worsens, and he begins to turn into the father he’s always despised. His sympathy for his mother turns to resentment when he realizes his financial support only enables her alcoholism, mistaken nostalgia, and permanent self-pity. His sister, the only functional member of his family, moved away and cut all connections to their small town years ago. After reconnecting with her, Dan begins to imagine life outside the only place he’s been able to call home.

Bad Ground details life on the margins in a small, decaying Midwestern town where people search for a vanishing way of life.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I was born and raised in the Midwest, moved away for a few years, and recently moved back. My background is in geology.

I'd like to think I write literary fiction, but I really just enjoy writing stories about small towns.

Check out quintinoverocker.wordpress.com for other words. If you want to get in touch with me check out my facebook page at facebook.com/badground.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had mixed reactions to this book - not having grown up in the Midwest in a small, dying town atmosphere, I was fascinated reading what life could be like. With that being said, there appeared to be a lot of inconsistencies within the book. At one point Dan had hurt his shoulder to the extent that he couldn't move it only to find out two to three days later, he was carrying a television around. Dan is a sad character and I kept hoping he would be going down a different path - at times his character was extremely strong but then we would see a totally different side of him. So I found it very difficult to know what he is like - the character development was not very well developed.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new writer who has the rural Midwest just right. His writing reminds me of Kent Haruf and David Rhodes. I enjoyed his main character, and I was surprised by the "bad ground". I could not put the book down at this point. While life is a mixture of good and bad decisions and a lot of luck, Overocker did not disappoint: he left me with hope.

Give this book a read. Support our Wisconsin writers!

[Nancy Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Ground is a spot on depiction of a small town in the Midwest. The characters are believable and the dialog is authentic. Overocker is neither smug nor condescending. The main character - Dan - is surprisingly likable despite his flaws. This book shows a white male with no tools to overcome his situation and makes a mockery of "up by the bootstraps" cliches.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Set aside an afternoon because you will want to read this in one sitting!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! More on http://bookwinked.wordpress.com