Leverage

by Eric Nelson

Somewhere between where men and women seek red-eyed revenge and rolls in the hay lay the characters in Leverage, from the farm roads of mid-60’s Texas to contemporary suburban New Jersey. As each of them wander in the pursuit of happiness and peace of mind, the American dream is made lucid at a fever pitch where schlub is king and the sun shines on a dog’s ass from dusk until dawn. “At some early point in each of Leverage’s seven stories, something clicks, and you’re pulled into these small-scale worlds—young toughs looking for action in the streets of Camden; hillbilly drama at a toddler’s birthday party; a widower’s salvation that takes the form of a dog fight in 1960s Texas. Nelson’s crafted tales are populated with characters with nothing to lose, looking to get theirs, often headed into ridiculous and tragic catastrophe. Nelson’s tough and nervy prose brings forth characters often found in mugshots or trashy daytime talk shows; except each one is strung through with painful loss, each one with a sad human heart.” —Dan Magers, author of Partyknife “These stories, about working class anti-heroes and messy families, marry the realism of Raymond Carver with the dark humor of an Alexander Payne film. Read this book.” —Leigh Stein, author of The Fallback Plan

Genres: Short Stories

122 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2015

Reviews

[Tyler Spragg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leverage is a solid collection. I often have trouble getting through short stories back to back, but the characters and settings were so real that this was almost a single sitting read. Stories I especially enjoyed included The Walt Whitman House, He's a Nice Old Man, and A Drink Among Friends.

[David Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never heard of Nelson but I wanted to check out this book on the strength of King Shot's affiliation with Broken River Books and the fact Strategies Against Nature (another King Shot book) by Cody Goodfellow is the best short story collection I have read this year.

I enjoyed Leverage. It's curt and straight to the point. The stories feel very realistic like you are either with the people in the stories or you definitely know someone like them. That familiarity was my favorite part of the book. The Walt Whitman House and A Drink Among Friends were are my two favorite stories. I only gave it a 4 because when it was all done I did want a little more of something that I can't really put my finger on. Maybe that doesn't sound right but whatever, it's a really good book. I look forward to reading more Nelson and King Shot Press.

[Gef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon.