Country Dark

by Chris Offutt

De retour de la guerre de Corée, Tucker, jeune vétéran de dix-huit ans, traverse à pied ses Appalaches natales pour rentrer chez lui.

Sur son chemin, il croise Rhonda, quinze ans à peine, et la sauve des griffes de son oncle. Immédiatement amoureux, tous deux décident de se marier pour ne plus jamais se quitter. Tucker trouve un boulot auprès d'un trafiquant d'alcool de la région.

Au cours des années qui suivent, cinq enfants naissent, qui deviennent leur raison de vivre. Mais quand une enquête des services sociaux menace la famille, les réflexes de combattant de Tucker se réveillent. Acculé, il découvrira le prix à payer pour défendre les siens.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime, Noir, Southern, Southern Gothic, Literary Fiction

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2018

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

He’s on his way home from the Korean War. She has just escaped being raped, saved by him . He’s nearly eighteen and she’s nearly fifteen, both so innocent and yet knowing about life in some ways. Tucker and Rhonda decide to marry less than a day after they met. The sparse quiet writing appealed to me from the beginning with simple phrasing full of descriptions that let you see the landscape on this road home to Kentucky as well as understand what these characters are feeling. Fast forward ten years and they still love each other and their children even though they struggle with physical and developmental issues with four of their five children. To provide for his family Tucker is a shine runner bringing danger that changes their lives.

While this is very much about place, the back woods of Kentucky, it is primarily a character study. I don’t remember the last time I was as torn over a character as I was about Tucker. It’s hard to condone the things he does, yet I found it impossible to wholeheartedly condemn him. Impossible because he loves his family so deeply. I choked up as he talks to his crib-ridden 9 year old son, Big Billy, about how he would one day teach him to fish and over the conversation he has with his daughter Jo sharing his special, quiet place for her to have when he’s gone. It’s dark and violent in places, creating a tension because it is also a story filled with much love. For more details on the plot, the book description as well as some other reviews can provide those.

There’s an epilogue that may have readers wondering if the story would have had a greater impact without it. I loved it. So many times I’ve been left wondering what happened to characters that I came to care about. I was glad to know what happened to their daughter Jo, perhaps my favorite character. For me it also served to emphasize further the moral dilemma that the reader faces, which is so central to the story. While they are very different stories, I had the same feelings at the end of The Homecoming of Samuel Lake. I will definitely look further at other novels by Offutt.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Grove Press through Edelweiss.

[Orsodimondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRUE BLOOD



La guerra e la prigione gli avevano insegnato che non si può evitare di schierarsi, che tutti alla fine si ritrovano in mezzo a qualcosa.

La guerra in questione è quella di Corea, colpo di coda del secondo conflitto mondiale, sporca come e più di tutte le guerre, rimossa e cancellata più di altre, e per questo chiamata guerra dimenticata, nonostante i suoi cinque milioni di morti, per metà civili. È ricordata soprattutto per il capolavoro di Altman e l’omonima serie tv, M*A*S*H.
E questo dalla guerra di Corea (1954) è il primo ritorno a casa.
Ce n’è poi un altro, oltre la metà del romanzo, quando il protagonista esce di galera, che porta Country Dark verso il nostos omerico, e fa di Tucker un novello Ulisse che torna a casa e difende la sua famiglia senza spaventarsi del sangue.



Offutt definisce il suo romanzo in modo che trovo appropriato slow thriller. È un thriller, c’è l’azione, ma lenta: anche se si tratta di sole 230 pagine, Offutt fa procedere la trama con calma, con lentezza. Accentuata anche dal tono cupo e dolce, dalla lingua sobria e scabra, esatta, che sa dar voce al suo silenzioso protagonista.

E quindi, si muove all’interno di un genere (quello del thriller appunto), ma sa ritagliare i suoi piccoli spazi dove spargere momenti più intensi e profondi, più dolenti e compassionevoli (ah, la pietas di Offutt comprende anche gli animali del bosco, i rettili, i predatori, e ovviamente, i più predatori di tutti, gli umani), che non è facile solitamente trovare in un thriller.



Volendo, Offutt si muove all’interno di un altro genere, quello del western, il western contemporaneo, un po’ come la trilogia della frontiera di McCarthy e altri romanzi dello stesso autore.
E, sempre volendo, Offutt si muove all’interno di un altro genere ancora, della ricca letteratura southern, cioè del sud, quella parte del paese con i suoi poveri bianchi o poveri neri, ma tutti poveri, gente che si muove più a suo agio in un bosco che su un marciapiede, letteratura venata di gotico, di atmosfere spesso sinistre, oscure (in questo caso, il titolo è già una chiara indicazione).
È infatti facile sentire il banjo del ragazzino albino (e chissà cos’altro) del prodigioso film Deliverance – Un tranquillo weekend di paura), o aspettarsi di veder sbucare dal bosco i bracconieri di Tom Franklin. Ma anche echi di Capote, di Flannery O’Connor, di certa Oates, di Lansdale, di Faulkner e della sua Yoknapatawpha, di Gone with the Wind della Mitchell



I suoi personaggi sono soprattutto i bianchi poveri del Sud degli USA, quelli che anno eletto Trump (Giancarlo De Cataldo scrive a proposito: Tornano gli eroi di quell’America depressa e dimenticata che da anni aspetta, come Dorothy, il suo mago di Oz. E l’ha trovato in Donald Trump?).
Le colline dove vivono Tucker e i suoi, il loro tenore di vita, rimanda all’America degli anni Trenta, non sembra che ci sia stata una guerra mondiale con quello che ha comportato, la povertà è endemica, igiene e salute precari. Tucker e sua moglie Rhonda, pur se dichiarati perfettamente sani e compatibili, mettono al mondo sei figli di cui quattro infermi: quello idrocefalo, quell’altra che ricorda la sindrome di Down, quattro bimbi malati che lo stato gli porta via perché non ritiene che i genitori siano all’altezza del compito né da un punto di vista economico né sanitario.



Su quelle colline e tra quelle valli e gole, nel Kentucky, ogni casa è un confine a sé, e ogni persona una frontiera in movimento.
E quando la minaccia dello Stato si presenta, Tucker reagisce nell’unico modo che conosce: si arma e si difende. Adotta l’unica forma di giustizia che conosce, quella fai-da-te.
Si può dire a un lupo che è sbagliato uccidere uno scoiattolo? No. E quindi, non si può neppure dire a Tucker che è sbagliato quello che fa per difendere la sua famiglia.
D’altra parte, Tucker e Rhonda sono come un solo albero spaccato in due dal clima. È bella la loro storia d’amore iniziata quando lui ha quasi diciotto anni (mancano dieci giorni – Tucker ha mentito sull’età pur di partire volontario per la guerra, e in Corea è rimasto quasi un anno, imparando un sacco di cose utili e pratiche, a cominciare dalla sopravvivenza) e lei quindici. È bello il sentimento familiare che li unisce, includendo a pieno titolo i figli malati e menomati.



- Ma come si fa a essere mezzo sfortunato?
- Lo siamo tutti, quasi sempre. La gente non sa di essere fortunata finché la sfortuna non le viene addosso.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Country Dark by Chris Offutt is a 2018 Grove Press publication.

An insane blend of Hardboiled Southern Gothic Noir-

“The sky stretched black in every direction. Clouds blocked the stars, lending an unfathomable depth to the air. The tree line was gone and hilltops blended with the black tapestry of night. It was country dark”

1954- Rural Kentucky-

Tucker returns to the states after serving in the Korean War. With those demons still haunting his dreams, he soon faces more trouble after confronting a would be rapist and saving a teenage girl in the process. He and the girl, Rhonda, fall in love and marry, while Tucker runs moonshine to provide for his increasing family. To complicate his hard living ways, all his children, save one, are born with severe handicaps which led the ‘state’ aka- social services- to pay a visit.

While Tucker is gentle, loyal, and true to Rhonda, and his children, he has a violent side- one that emerges profoundly when his family is threatened, showing different sides and complexities to the man and the underside of Kentucky from the mid-fifties through the early seventies.

“People don’t know they’re lucky till the bad luck comes along”

Some literary works are eloquently written, steeped in allegory or symbolism, the authors lauded for their vivid prose, but many times it’s the stark, lean prose that packs the most powerful punch.
Chris Offutt delivers a sparing, yet equally eloquent, and impressive piece of Southern Gothic fiction.

The various contrasts are striking, with deep character examinations. Tucker is where our attention is the most riveted, with Rhonda and his family being the catalyst for the choices he makes. His love is what necessitates the violence, the driving force that makes him a survivor. The story is dark, moody, and thought provoking, very authentic and realistic. ‘The Hollers’, Tucker and his family will stick with you long after you turn the final page.

4.5 stars

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Set in the hollers of Kentucky, this is Southern Gothic, Southern grit done lean and spare. Tucker,not yet eighteen is returning to his Kentucky home after serving in the Korean War, where he was awarded eight medals for bavery. He meets Rhonda after saving her from a bad situation, he takes her home, they marry and start a family. He starts running shine for the bootlegger boss, a job that takes cunning and skill. When he is offered an opportunity it to improve his family's lot in life he takes it, much to the dismay of his wife.

The language is spare, though the descriptions give one a more than adequate look at life in the hills. A life full of hardship for many, and the Tucker family has had more than their fair share of troubles. For Tucker family is everything, and he will do all in his power to keep them safe and together. Tuckeri s a very interesting character, he committed many acts of violence but he is a man whose moral ambiguities are hard to pin down. He is beyond tender with his family but more than hard if anyone crosses him, or poses a threat to his family. He is a character whose actions are hard to approve of, but maybe understandable if seen in a different light.

A short book that says much, is very centered on one character which provides for a huge impact. Anovel of family, revenge, hardship and love. The epilogue let's us know how everyone fares after books end,and I'm not sure how I felt about that. Almost think it would have been better, more powerful,if it had just ended at the last chapter. Anyway if you read this, you can judge that for yourself.

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Zoeytron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do yourself a favor and topple your TBR stack.  Get your hands on a copy of this book and read it.  In my way of thinking, this one is dangerously close to perfection.  Set in the backwoods of Kentucky, bootlegging provides the background, but is not the main gist of the story.  Fresh idea, original title, and writing that provides a compelling tale using a lean economy of words.  Loved every minute of it, sorry it is over.

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know where to start with reviewing this book and since I can't quote the whole book to you....just know

THIS. BOOK. IS. PERFECTION.

Not enough stars exist for rating it the amount I loved it.





Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make no mistake about it, Chris Offutt can write.

I don't care what other people say, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover (my copy has a great one) – and/or its title – and/or its author. And what the cover and the title of this book advertises, the writer delivers.

The sky stretched black in every direction. Clouds blacked out the stars, lending an unfathomable depth to the air. The tree line was gone and hill tops blended with the black tapestry of night. It was country dark. He closed his eyes, feeling safe.

Yes, country dark. What a great title for this story of life in the remote, isolated region of eastern Kentucky. And while Offutt, like many writers, shies away from literary categorizations such as “grit lit” and “country noir,” those gritty labels do apply here, for country dark is an apt description of the story as well as the night sky. It is dark, but it is also humane; there is even some humor.

“Applalachians are suspicious of their neighbors, distrustful of strangers, and uncertain about third cousins. It’s a culture that operates under a very simple principle: You leave me alone, and I’ll leave you alone.” – Chris Offutt

“Feeling safe” in that world of “country dark” is a memorable character that we only know by his last name, Tucker. He is a country boy who “didn’t like towns – too many people doing too many things at once. And everything boring with its repetition and noise.”

Only a teenager, but returning from war, when we first meet him, we eventually learn that he is resourceful, loyal, loving and gentle with his family, and has a heightened sense of responsibility. He doesn’t waste words (he does smoke a lot of Lucky Strikes; I wanted to light up every time he did and I have been quit for thirty years), but he is a deadly opponent to those who do not leave him and his alone. This is a lesson that several people learn too late.

Tucker is smart. He operates on instinct, but is never reckless. He makes few mistakes while making others pay for theirs. But he does make one that is a jim dandy. He enters into an agreement with a man named Beanpole and it cost him six years of his life, but Beanpole pays an even higher price. (Heed this warning: never trust a man named Beanpole who weighs over 300 pounds. Even his name is a lie.)

I’m not going to write about the plot because I don’t want to give anything away. My advice, however, is read the book. I predict that it will lead you to search out Offutt's other work. At least, that is how it has affected me.

This is only his second novel. The first was written almost twenty years ago. That doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been writing in the interim. He has written short stories, essays, and several memoirs, the latest being My Father, the Pornographer, and even screenplays.

The ardent fans of Country Dark, and that now includes me, hope that Offutt will not wait another twenty years before publishing his next novel. But whenever it arrives I’ll be waiting in line for my copy.

[Guille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estamos en 1971, en el profundo Kentucky. Hace diecisiete años que Tucker volvió de la guerra de Corea. Se alistó para huir de casa y mintiendo sobre su edad, pero aquí está de nuevo.

“Su padre llevaba siempre una pistola oculta y media pinta de alcohol, dispuesto en todo momento a congraciarse o pelearse con quien se le pusiera gallito”

Está familiarizado con las armas desde que era un crío. Esta habilidad, su intuición y sus grandes dotes para la supervivencia en las condiciones más extremas, le valieron para regresar vivo y con un buen puñado de medallas. No le gusta la compañía de los hombres ni las ciudades donde tanta gente hace tantas cosas. No pronuncia una palabra más de las necesarias. Un tipo duro que ya ha pasado por la guerra y por la cárcel, casado y con cinco hijos, varios de ellos con graves deficiencias físicas y mentales, ha trabajado muchos años en el reparto de alcohol de contrabando sin conseguir salir de pobre, pero tiene una gran reputación de rectitud, valentía y lealtad. Tiene poco más de 30 años.

“Quien no fuese capaz de sobrevivir en el bosque no merecía respirar”

Tucker es fiel a un estricto código moral que tiene en lo más alto la protección de su familia, a la que trata con un cariño que su inclinación natural a resolver los problemas con una violencia a veces extrema y desproporcionada no parecía augurar. Sus problemas empiezan cuando los servicios sociales estiman que algunos de sus hijos estarían mejor atendidos en instituciones estatales, y la cosa se complican al verse envuelto por su jefe en un tema de corrupción policial.

Aunque se la puede clasificar como novela de género, “Noche cerrada” es simplemente una buena novela, una novela que se disfruta de principio a fin, tensa, violenta, pero también muy tierna, a la que no le falta ni el humor, pese al oscuro retrato de un mundo empobrecido y embrutecido, donde la frontera entre la ley y la delincuencia es difusa o inexistente, en el que una religión primitiva les provee de una fuerza infinita para soportar las adversidades que siempre se afrontan de forma individual o con el único apoyo de la familia y teniendo muy claro que el estado, que nada tiene que ver con ellos, nunca debe inmiscuirse en sus vidas.

“— A veces pienso que es culpa mía. Pero son hijos de Dios. — Todos lo somos, dijo Marvin. — Me cuesta convencer a mi marido para que me acompañe a la iglesia. ¿Usted cree que si viniera las cosas cambiarían? — No lo sé. — Eso es lo triste, nadie lo sabe”

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

fulfilling my 2020 goal to read (at least) one book each month that i bought in hardcover and put off reading long enough that it is now in paperback.

this is a gorgeous and streamlined novel featuring one of the most fully-realized yet still somewhat enigmatic characters i have ever read. offutt's protag/light-antihero tucker left his backwoods-kentucky home to fight in the korean war at the age of seventeen, where, despite his youth, he proved himself in combat, outliving many older, more seasoned soldiers.

As the shortest and youngest member of his platoon, he rarely spoke. His first words were in response to a corporal asking him how he liked his rifle. Tucker had said, "Shoots good," and a silence fell over the other men as sudden as a net. They looked at one another, then began laughing in an uproarious manner. Four died in combat and would never laugh at him again.

an exceptional marksman, tucker is also methodical, unflappable, and capable, and while other men came home from war ticking time bombs, veterans of Korea and World War II, trained for violence but not in how to control it, tucker is in complete control over his own capacity for violence. on his first day home, he thwarts a rapist, leaving him bleeding but alive, and marries the girl.

it's pretty much that quick.

in a novel spanning seventeen years in just over 200 pages, everything happens at that pace—tucker starts a family, runs moonshine for a bootlegger, developing a "reputation for toughness and honor," takes the fall for his boss and does some time, etc, but the events of the novel are almost inconsequential. the real draw is the prose and character-work, which is tremendous.

tucker is a man who survives—through war, prison, the schemes of his criminal associates, and the threats to his family. his survival skills extend to the natural world—observant and deeply attuned to the woods around him, he makes the most of his unforgiving and hardscrabble surroundings; reading nature's myriad signs and signals, hunting, foraging, able to live off the land if need be.

His supplies had dwindled but he'd be all right. Anybody who couldn't live in the woods shouldn't be drawing breath.

although he operates in the world of men—as talented behind the wheel as he is behind a gun, he's just one more living creature in the ecosystem, bound to the cycle of life and the inevitability of death.

Two red squirrels chased each other around an oak at the edge of the yard, then ran up the tree. At the first fork the small one went east. The other squirrel jumped to the opposite fork and they faced each other on a long horizontal limb. The big one jumped the other, landing easily on the bark, spinning on its rear legs. It climbed on the back of the small one, tucked its forelegs tight, and began hunching its tiny hips. In a few weeks the squirrel would give birth, same as Rhonda. The male might be shot by then, same as him.

that passage says a lot in a sideways manner, which is definitely a recurring thing in this slim novel.

although tucker is fairly unemotional throughout this story, he's not incapable of emotions; he just doesn't waste the energy on 'em. similarly, offutt doesn't waste any words. tucker is a deliberate, decisive character, and the prose mirrors his characteristics.

Tucker blew smoke and squinted as the wind flung it back in his eyes. The cigarette was burning faster on the side facing the window and he dabbed spit on it to even the fire.

it’s that simple—tucker sees sees a problem, he fixes the problem. and when the problems are bigger than cigarette-sized, his solutions are scaled accordingly, but no less dispassionately.

i am so glad i finally read this book. i'm not sure why it took me so long to pick it up, but it won't be long before i track down something else by him.

come to my blog!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Country Dark is one of the best novels I'll read this year, even lacking a crystal ball to indicate what I'll read between now and January 1. I've been unable to write a review that captures the quality of the writing, the compelling story-telling, the precise reveal of each plot point and selection of each word, the authenticity of each line of dialogue, the many other reasons I'm still thinking about Tucker and Kentucky 3 weeks after finishing Country Dark. I recommend it to anyone interested in great literature and not of a mind to dismiss all works written post-1968.

Here's the review you should read - from author and fellow North Carolinian, David Joy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Plus another penned by Smith Henderson and published in the NY Times Book Review. If we are friends here, you might be aware that I'm one of the least spoiler-averse friends you have. In this single instance, though, Henderson's review reveals a few spoilers I recommend you not know prior to reading Country Dark.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/bo...

[James Thane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very atmospheric tale, set mostly in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. The protagonist, Tucker, is eighteen years old when the novel opens in 1954. After serving in the Korean War, he is freshly out of the army and is making his way back home.

He's camping out along the way, living off the land, when he comes across a man attempting to rape a fourteen-year-old girl. Tucker pulls the man off the girl and beats him badly before discovering that the man is the girl's uncle and that they are on the way home from her father's funeral. The man is also a deputy sheriff, which complicates matters even further.

Thinking quickly, Tucker forces the man to sell him his car, which has been modified into a vehicle for running moonshine whiskey. Tucker then leaves with the car and with the young girl, Rhonda, who is strongly attracted to him. As a practical matter, Tucker has had no experience with women and is in some ways, little more than a boy himself. But within hours, the two agree to marry, and Rhonda is speculating about what their children will be like.

At this point, the story jumps forward ten years. The couple is living a hardscrabble life on a mountaintop in Eastern Kentucky and Tucker is driving 'shine for a local bootlegger. The couple already has five children but only one of them is normal. The others are all severely handicapped in some way or other.

Moving forward, Offutt describes the triumphs and tribulations that constitute the life that Tucker and Rhonda have built for themselves. The couple faces one challenge after another, and as the story progresses, both Tucker and Rhonda will be sorely tested. Country Dark is a beautifully written story that evokes a way of life few of us can imagine. Tucker, in particular, is a very compelling character, and his story is one that few readers will quickly forget. This is the first novel that Chris Offutt has written in a number of years, and I can only hope that his next one appears very soon.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Per the placeholder “review” below, the only reason Country Dark even pinged my radar was because of David Joy. Since Mr. Joy can’t churn out books at the one-per-month rate I’d like him to, I’ve been picking up his recommendations from time-to-time instead. What can I say about this one???? Well . . . . .



If you’re not a fan of “hick lit” I can’t say this will be the one that changes your mind. But if you are? Boy are you missing out if you haven’t already added this to the TBR. Don’t let the title scare you off either. While there is certainly some darkness to this story (one of the opening scenes is of a girl nearly getting raped) – it isn’t pitch black. It’s simply a story that spans the end of the Korean War to the ‘70s about family and doing whatever it takes to provide for them while living in rural Kentucky at the time . . . .

“The Tuckers were a good bunch with bad luck, same as a lot of hill families.”

Sadly, since this is not “the next Gone Girl” it wasn’t released with a mass market campaign, movie options and a gazillion advanced copy push. Unlike all of those so-called next-best-things, THIS story might actually be one of the best you’ll read.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley

ORIGINAL "REVIEW:"

Because Shelby made me want David Joy's new book and then David Joy made me want this new book and now I'm gonna make Shelby want this new book . . . .



I think a bookpushing intervention is overdue.

[La loca de los libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Se preguntó qué habría llevado a aquel árbol a crecer tan cerca del agua que al final iba a provocar su desplome. Lo mismo los árboles eran tan codiciosos como las personas."

Una lectura corta casi perfecta en su sencillez 🖤

Me ha gustado mucho esta primera incursión en las letras de Chris Offutt.
La novela está ambientada en una recóndita región boscosa de Kentucky, durante los años 50 - 60 y refleja muy bien un entorno hostil donde las familias tienen que buscarse la vida de cualquier manera, ya sea haciendo de contrabandistas o recurriendo a la violencia cuando se trata de proteger aquello a lo que más quieres.
Su estilo es directo y sencillo, que no simple. De esas novelas que abordan muchos aspectos de manera muy amena, casi cinematográfica por su estilo y ritmo.
Haciendo un retrato muy certero de una época y sus gentes. Gente que no lo ha tenido nada fácil en la vida e intentan sobrevivir o sobrellevar la existencia con lo poco que tienen.
La falta de oportunidades será una constante durante toda la trama, si a esto le añadimos situaciones delicadas con menores de por medio tenemos el combo perfecto que aúna emotividad con momentos de más acción.
Aquí tanto la pobreza, como la violencia y la marginalidad se darán la mano en una trama corta, contundente y frenética que te dejará con ganas de más.

Tucker, el protagonista de esta historia, decide alistarse antes de tiempo para luchar en la guerra de Corea con el fin de huir de su casa, el desarraigo hizo que tomara esta medida tan desesperada.
Será a la vuelta, en una situación muy desagradable, cuando conocerá a la que será su mujer y la madre de sus hijos.
A partir de este momento el rol de la mujer también tendrá una función muy importante dentro de ese retrato de la época; su desesperación ante determinadas situaciones y su desgana ante la soledad y falta de apoyo serán capaces de traspasar el papel.
Esa madre que intenta sacar a tantos hijos adelante, mientras su marido se va adentrando cada vez más en un mundillo corrupto y sórdido, ganando dinero de una manera poco ética mediante el contrabando de alcohol.

Por todo ello ya tengo toda la bibliografía del autor apuntada para futuras compras.
No me quiero perder nada de lo que escriba 🖤
Así que si te gusta el realismo sucio, aquel que te muestra la realidad tal cual, sin edulcorar, esta es tu novela y Sajalín Editores tu editorial.

https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 🖤📚✨

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Tucker’s eyes don’t match up and neither do his split personalities. He’s as complicated as what he eats for breakfast.
One minute he’s trashing the environment and the next he’s getting stung relocating a hornet nest because “hornets had a right to live.”
He really appreciated that guy who offered him a ride and didn’t say a word for 90 miles (other folks will need to learn best to keep their mouth shut).
The nuthatch, his favorite bird — is a fact he keeps to himself.
There’s a good reason why he sometimes doesn’t wear socks. Chris did you make that up? Holy smokes!

This one is as lean as a lettuce wrap seasoned with the most dialectable phraseology ever.
“Shit fire and save matches, that’s my name aint it?”
The language, the language, the language.

From an author interview in The Coil: “My sole interest is the quality of the prose, believability of dialogue, freshness of language, depth of insight, and clear imagery in description.” Bingo.
He also stated his original intention was to write a saga “But I became enthralled by Tucker and never made it past 1971!”
Me too—utterly enthralled! Can I just whine a second? I wanted a saga! Instead I got a measly 232 pages of authentic Southern grit-lit prose with an epilogue that messed with my afterglow. I almost knocked off a whole star for that epilogue but after sleeping on it settled on 4.5 rounded up because the rest of it shits fire and ignites matches. Add bonus points for my favorite cover of the year and we have a five star read.
I so wanted a handrolled cigarette afterwards but I’ve never smoked.

[David Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that couldn't have been written by anyone else. These pages sing with authenticity down to the details of cold spring water in enameled tin cups.

As I read, I was reminded of something I heard an old timer say once about the poverty of mountain people. She said, "We ain't know we was poor till the government come in here and told us we was." There's a passage in this novel where a social worker is trying to explain to her asshole boss why he can't ask yes or no questions, him having just asked a little girl he's never met whether or not her father is working.

The social worker says, "Let me tell you something. You ask yes-or-no questions and you won't get anything. Folks around here don't think that way. A yes-or-no question will make them think there's a right answer and a wrong one. They won't speak because they don't want to make a mistake."

"How is being honest a mistake?"

"When the asker has an agenda. The police do that. Teachers and doctors, too. Now you're doing it. I don't, and that's why they trust me. I know you're my boss, Dr. Miller, but things in the hills aren't that simple--who's boss and who's not. If somebody's working or not, if a little girl is happy or sad. It's not black and white here. It's all gray."

This is the type of detail outsiders get wrong when they try to write about this place. Appalachia is not a trope, and it's tiring to keep reading shitty books by shitty writers who aren't from these mountains and have never lived in these mountains and who set a story here just because they think it'll sell. Chris got these details right because he knows this place and he knows these people. As hard as part of this story is, he got to the humanity of it and that's all anyone can ask.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

”I've looked for love in all the same old places
Found the bottom of a bottle always dry
But when you poured out your heart I didn't waste it
'Cause there's nothing like your love to get me high

“You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You're as sweet as strawberry wine
You're as warm as a glass of brandy
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time”
-- Tennessee Whiskey, Chris Stapleton / Songwriters: Linda H Bartholomew / Dean Dillon


”Tucker stood in Ohio and looked across the river at the swollen green land of Kentucky. He’d left in early summer and returned in spring, a winter of war in between. He began crossing the bridge. Wind made it sway and he grabbed a strut. Briefly he recalled seeing a dozen dead enemy strewn about a dynamited bridge near the front, a boundary that changed week to week. If Ohio attacked Kentucky, one bunch of the other would blow this bridge to smithereens. Anyone who fought wouldn’t know the difference between soldiers, the same as North and South Koreans. It was Truman’s war, not Tucker’s, but he’d killed and nearly been killed and watched men tremble with fear and cry like kids. His army pay of four hundred forth dollars was folded tight and distributed about his body in every pocket. The eleven medals he received were at the bottom of his rucksack.”

So this is his welcome home, soldier, with no one to welcome him waiting, but still he’s just footsteps away. Carrying everything he has on his back and still what his body notices most is the absence of the weight of his rifle, as though he was missing a limb.

He’s just a boy, really, still not even yet eighteen, lying his way into the last almost-year of the Korean War. Still, he’s been to war, and in his eyes, he sees himself with his veteran’s pay, old enough to think about getting himself a wife once he gets settled.

Just glad to be back home, where he could see the sky above the same ground he’d walked since he was a child.

"Clouds blocked the stars, lending an unfathomable depth to the air. The tree line was gone and hilltops blended with the black tapestry of night. It was country dark. He closed his eyes, feeling safe."

He’d set out for home, set on finding gainful employment, and somewhat inadvertently meets a young girl he rescues along the way, and ends up spending a night with her which sets their fate. They marry, since they spent the night together, and to do otherwise in 1954 would, at the very least, set tongues wagging. Along the way, he more or less falls into a job working for a bootlegger, the car he has bought along the way was a runner car, and one thing leads to another.

Tucker and Rhonda’s life was never an easy one, babies came along soon, and then another and another, each one loved, but with Tucker gone on the road so much, and Rhonda left to care for the children, some of which more than your average amount of help every day, Rhonda’s life wasn’t easy.

I really enjoyed this story, loved Tucker and Rhonda, although this story really belongs more to Tucker. I loved the gentle tension, the feeling of really being in this backwoods world of moonshine, surrounded by the woods of Appalachia. A simpler way of life in both time and place, with its own set of rules to live by. A different definition of beauty than the ones we both judge our life by, and are judged by today.

This is a shorter story than most, at 240 pages, but it is filled with heart. I found this to be a little bit on the light side for “country-noir,” a good choice for those who are faint of heart.



Pub Date: 10 April 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Grove Atlantic / Grove Press

[Francesc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantástica novela.
La historia, los personajes y la ambientación son magníficos.
El protagonista, Tucker, es especial. Tiene algo que te enamora igual que su mujer, Rhonda. La historia de su familia es muy original.
El único inconveniente es que el final es abierto. La historia de Tucker se acaba bruscamente y te quedas con más ganas de él.
Aunque, al final, Offutt te cuenta qué ha sido de él y de su familia, parece que la historia se ha cortado demasiado pronto. Imagino que el autor prefirió ese final a un mal final.
La historia es dura. En Kentucky las mujeres y los hombres son duros y cada vida es miserable y hermosa a la vez. Hay pocas situaciones divertidas ya que la vida no les permite muchas risas, pero disfrutan con el bosque y los animales y con los pequeños momentos de placer.
La novela se lee en un día y te atrapa desde el principio hasta el final.

-------------------------------

Fantastic novel.
The story, the characters and the setting are superb.
The main character, Tucker, is special. There's something about him that makes you fall in love with him and his wife, Rhonda. The story of his family is very original.
The only drawback is that the ending is open-ended. Tucker's story ends abruptly and you are left wanting more of him.
Although, at the end, Offutt tells you what has become of him and his family, it seems that the story is cut off too soon. I imagine the author preferred that ending to a bad ending.
The story is hard. In Kentucky women and men are tough and every life is miserable and beautiful at the same time. There are few funny situations as life doesn't allow them much laughter, but they enjoy the woods and the animals and the little moments of pleasure.
The novel can be read in a day and catches you from beginning to end.

[Ana Cristina Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Rednecks', 'hillbillies', 'white trash', son nombres despectivos que podríamos traducir como 'paletos' y que se han dado a los blancos pobres que viven aislados en la inmensa naturaleza del sur profundo, en estados como Kentucky. William Faulkner y Erskine Caldwell los retrataron sin piedad, con una mirada a medio camino entre el horror y la burla. Por ejemplo, en El camino del tabaco conocemos a una familia disfuncional, corroída por la ignorancia, la miseria y las taras genéticas. El autor nos distancia de ellos con su implacable sarcasmo, que nos viene a decir que son un caso perdido.

Mientras que estos autores escriben en los años 50, Chris Offutt, en 2018, contempla a los mismos personajes pero con una mirada llena de compasión y simpatía, haciendo que nos pongamos en su lugar y veamos las cosas desde su perspectiva. Y así, Tucker, el traficante de alcohol y ex-combatiente de Corea, que mata - literalmente - por su disfuncional familia, nos llega al corazón.

La perspectiva de Offutt es que su personaje está más arraigado en el mundo natural que en la sociedad convencional y urbana; por lo tanto su comportamiento, aunque pueda parecer salvaje, es pura supervivencia. Frente a él, los asistentes sociales, los médicos y la autoridad en general, se nos presentan como faltos de empatía y de compasión.

La narración es seca, concisa, con diálogos breves pero que a veces nos dan pistas sobre el sentido de la obra, como el que tiene lugar entre los dos funcionarios de la asistencia social:

Yo no juzgo - dijo Hattie -. Es un hábito que quizá debería usted pensar en ir adquiriendo.

Las abundantes y bellas descripciones de la naturaleza de Kentucky ponen un contrapunto de armonía y bienestar a la violencia que se apodera de los corazones:

El viento peinaba las hojas de las ramas más altas produciendo un murmullo de arroyo distante. La luz se deslizaba por el suelo al moverse las copas de los árboles. Había olvidado el placer de estar en el bosque.

Citando al blog Negra y mortal: 'Un rural noir sureño más crudo que el filete de una ardilla sin pasar por la sartén.'

[Diane Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't blame Rhonda one little bit for falling in love with Tucker right off. So did I. Tucker was a smart guy in the only way it really matters; knowing how to take care of himself and the ones who mattered to him. I never worried about Tucker, even when he got into bad situations, because I knew he would figure things out.

Chris Offutt has written a book about a superhero in disguise as a young veteran of the Korean War who becomes a bootleg runner. Because he is slight of stature and an uneducated backwoodsman, he is underestimated by anyone who doesn't know him, and even some who do. Tangling with Tucker is never a good idea.

5 stars for the story, 5 stars for the characters, 5 stars for the language. His people speak like I do. They "purely despise" certain things, say warsh instead of wash, and believe that cats have no place around babies because they will suck their breath out. No argument there. And another 5 stars for the humor running through every sentence and paragraph, if you know how to look for it.

I guess that makes Chris Offutt a superhero disguised as an author, with his super power being the ability to turn this novel into an unforgettable book for me. On my favorites list.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I got one last little bit of trouble to take care of." Set in rural Kentucky, this is a spare, character-driven novel about a young man. Tucker is a gentle, loving and protective family man. He and his wife Rhonda marry as teenagers in 1954, immediately after meeting. They rapidly have 6 children, four of whom have severe physical or mental developmental problems. Mostly things just happen to Tucker. The only acts he seems capable of planning are violent ones. He's a sympathetic character, but you can certainly have conflicted feelings about him. He just falls into his job as driver for a bootlegger because he happens to have bought the right kind of car. He marries Rhonda because he happens to rescue her from an assault as he is passing by on his way home from the Korean War. Killing people just seems like a reasonable solution to his difficulties. Rhonda starts out as a shrewd 14 year old but appears to regress over the years and become more childlike as guilt and depression over her children wear her down. The epilogue is simplistic and unnecessary and I recommend not reading it. It's also unbelievable. Have they not heard of fingerprint evidence in Kentucky in the 1970s? Tucker was a believable character, the book was well written and isn't afflicted by the testosterone fueled posturing that annoys me in a lot of rural noir novels. I would read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated 7/16/18 due to reread.

http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/d...

https://medium.com/the-coil/chris-off...

Stop what you are doing, buy this book and read it immediately. 5++++ stars and now holds a spot on my favorite shelf. There are lots of familiar southern grit lit themes but somehow Offutt turns things just slightly to make them completely unique. I found myself thinking, “oooh, that is good. How did he think of that twist on ideas that are seen all the time in southern lit.” Kentucky readers definitely own some bragging rights with this author.

Updated 7/16/18: This was a quick reread and it was better the second time around. The attention to details regarding human nature and the natural world are spot on in this novel. The epilogue was perfect for me. I like knowing that some of my favorite characters not only survived but had success at life. Again, I encourage you to buy a copy, this will be one you will want in your home Library. I have been fortunate to be part of On the southern Literary Trail Book group where Mr Offutt has been so kind to participate in a Q&A with our group. He’s a very talented writer.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Returning home to backwoods Kentucky after serving in the Korean War, Tucker rescues Rhonda from being attacked. Tucker is only eighteen since he lied about his age to enlist, and Rhonda is even younger, but they fall in love and soon marry. Ten years later they are living in poverty with five young children, some with disabilities. Tucker is supporting the family by running moonshine.

A series of circumstances puts Tucker in a position where he has to make some tough decisions. There are some violent, bloody moments in this Southern Noir story. Tucker's motivation throughout is his deep love for Rhonda and their children. He will do whatever he needs to do to support them and keep them safe.

"Country Dark" would make a great movie with its wonderful dialogue, wry humor, morally ambiguous choices, and nonstop action. It was not surprising to read that talented Chris Offutt is also a screenwriter. It's a short book at 231 pages, but it's one that I'll remember.

[piperitapitta · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Dark

Wow, che bella scoperta Chris Offutt - non mia, che pure lo tenevo d’occhio dalla pubblicazione dei racconti Nelle terre di nessuno - ma che bella scoperta leggerlo senza saperne nulla e trovarsi catapultata in Kentucky in una storia che passando per la guerra di Corea e il contrabbando di whisky, in fondo, vuole raccontare solo di famiglia e miseria e di tutto quello che un uomo e una donna, un padre e una madre, sarebbero capaci di fare per metterla al sicuro.
Ma è una storia nera, anche se la natura è verde, fitta, piena di fruscii e di scoiattoli e serpenti e le descrizioni incantevoli, una storia nerissima, una di quelle in cui, per avere salva la pelle, è sempre opportuno avere una pistola nascosta nella manica o un coltello affilato da estrarre e usare senza pensarci troppo sopra.
E Rhonda e Tucker, i due protagonisti quasi bambini che la attraversano nell’arco di quasi vent’anni, non sono altro che due angeli neri uniti in un abbraccio così forte da essere capace di farli volare.

[Aletheia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una pequeña joya: es difícil encontrar protagonistas así, una narración sencilla y preciosa que cuenta una historia dura.

La abrazó sin moverse. Los brazos y las piernas le hormigueaban como si le hubiesen dado una leve descarga eléctrica. Nunca se había sentido tan tranquilo.(...)No recordaba haber dormido jamás tan cerca de un cuerpo vivo.

Sin hacer spoilers o contar algo que no cuente la sinopsis, diré que la historia sigue a Tucker, un joven recién llegado de la Guerra de Corea con un cuchillo y cuatrocientos dolares, y como se desarrolla su vida en el Kentucky rural dedicado al contrabando de alcohol. La historia es dramática sin caer en sensiblerias y violenta sin crudeza.

Lo que más me ha gustado es el papel de la naturaleza, cuya presencia es algo más que un escenario y en la que Tucker se expresa mejor que en ningún otro momento.

Parece simple, pero está muy trabajada: no le sobra absolutamente nada. No se escriben muchos protagonistas como Tucker, con tantas aristas, tantos matices en tan pocas páginas (ahora dirían moralmente gris, pero eso no lo explica del todo). Los personajes secundarios son muy interesantes, sobre todo tres mujeres: Rhonda (la leal esposa y madre), Jo (la hija prematuramente madura) y Beulah (una comadrona negra y ciega,). Me ha recordado a la Trilogía de Jon Fosse, aunque el estilo es totalmente distinto, en la inocencia y destino funesto de unos personajes nobles pero complejos y el gran papel que juega la suerte -o la falta de ella- en la novela.

—¿Cómo se puede estar entremedias de la suerte?
—Es donde está todo el mundo casi siempre. La gente no sabe lo afortunada que es hasta que les sobreviene la mala suerte.

Me dejo muchas cosas fuera porque trata muchos temas, pero me falta tiempo (y manos) para escribir más. Solo quedaros con que es una novela corta que merece muchísimo la pena. Ha sido una sorpresa.

[Martie Nees Record · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Literary Southern Gothic
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Pub. Date: April 10, 2018

Literary Southern Gothic is a new genre for me. I have always enjoyed a good Gothic read, but had no idea what Southern Gothic meant? So, I googled, and learned that it’s not Southern vampires (or at least not in literary southern gothic, though I’m sure that’s out there too). To my surprise, the books in this genre include: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” and, “A Streetcar Named Desire”— well actually, just about all of Tennessee Williams’ work. This means it is some of my favorite books that became some of my favorite movies. So I am guessing that a story is of this classification as long as the setting is in the South, and the story contains violence, poverty, social issues, romance and a hint of noir.

I was expecting a stellar read since the author, Chris Offutt, has been awarded the Whiting Writers Award for Fiction/Nonfiction and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Fiction Award, among numerous other honors. And, a tense and atmospheric stellar read is what I got. It is written dark and taut and set in rural mid-century Kentucky. The protagonist is a husband and father who would do whatever it takes including murder, to keep, to his family housed, fed, safe and most importantly all together. At times, the protagonist reminds me of some city gang member from the TV show “The Wire,” fierce and shrewd, except our man’s evenings are not lit up with streetlights. His nighttime is mountain hollers dark. And, rather than city slang, his words are in Kentucky-speak.

We meet him when he is returning home from the Korean War covered in metals. The boy can shoot. He meets his future wife while she is about to be raped by her uncle, who is the local sheriff. She is fourteen-years-old, and he is eighteen-years-old. He rescues the girl, and she asks him not to kill her attacker since he is kin (that just about sums up the people who live in the hollers—if you are one who possesses Appalachian morals). This is the beginning of one of the toughest, yet sweetest love stories that I have ever read. They marry and have a bunch of kids. He makes a living by running moonshine. They need more than most since four of their six children were born with disabilities. The first thing the country smart, female social worker did was make sure there wasn’t any interbreeding. There wasn’t. Since there are no signs of abuse, this caseworker does what she can to help them. The not-so-country smart, male caseworker wants to put their disabled children in homes. Both mother and father are devoted parents. You can guess what happens here, which is the start of even more hardship for the family. Although he is meaner than a rattlesnake, and she is tougher than nails, both manage to hold on to their human decency, which I am not sure many could do while living in such dire conditions. You will root for this family that has underdog charm.

The story actually begins about here and this is all you should know for fear of spoilers. I will share that Offutt routinely shifts points of view, feelings, and tones within tense. The writing can be as playful as it is brutal, which can take you by surprise. Will this novel become a classic such as, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” or “To Kill a Mocking Bird?” I doubt it. It’s missing what can be found in the other books: The racial southern tension with good trying it’s best to triumph. Is “Dark Country” a spellbinding read that you will not soon forget? The answer to this question is most certainly yes.

Find all my book reviews at:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list
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Twitter: Martie’s Book Reviews: https://twitter.com/NeesRecord

[Martin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so, so good. The late Larry Brown is my favorite author, and Chris Offutt is now right on his heels. COUNTRY DARK is full of brilliant writing and all kinds of action. This is gritty, backwoods, poetic stuff, but it's also wise, sad and quite tender in spots. Here's a taste, the riff that gives the book its title: "The moon was a gibbous, barely there, as if chewed away. The sky stretched black in every direction. Clouds blocked the stars, lending an unfathomable depth to the air. The treeline was gone and hilltops blended with the black tapestry of the night. It was country dark. He closed his eyes, feeling safe." Doesn't get much better.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a striking novel with a potent sense of place, surprising narrative momentum, memorable prose, and most impressive, a sense of humanity and authenticity that sets it apart from other more run-of-the-mill stories in a similar vein. Throughout the book, you can feel the love that Offutt has for each and every character that populates these small Kentucky hollers. Every character is very well-drawn, no matter how small, almost immediately getting a sense of who they are, all due to Offutt's storytelling talent. The main characters, Tucker and Rhonda are honorable people with a way of life that is tied to the land on which they live and without concern for outside trifle. And Offutt's lean, simple, but effective prose is a great fit for these characters and makes for an affecting read.

"People don't know they're lucky until the bad luck comes along"

[Kansas · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Se levantó con un movimiento lento e indolente, como una serpiente en primavera.
Beanpole comprendió que se hallaba en completa desventaja. Tucker era mucho más peligroso cuando aparentaba ser inofensivo y se movía como alguien aturdido por el calor".

Cuánto más me gusta una novela, creo que más díficil me resulta hablar sobre ella, comentar las sensaciones que me ha transmitido. Offutt es un escritor cuya prosa se debate entre lo fugazmente poético y una sencillez seca y directa, y que es capaz de dejar una marca que se queda ya grabada. Lo que cuenta Noche Cerrada puede parecer ya trillado y mil veces visto o leído: el soldado que vuelve de la guerra no siendo ya el mismo, marcado por lo que ha visto y vivido y una vez que ha vuelto, aunque siente la necesidad imperiosa de establecerse, sabe de sobra que le va a ser díficil poder encontrar de nuevo su lugar en casa. Hablamos de Tucker, un chico que miente sobre su edad para poder alistarse, y cuando vuelve de esta Guerra de Corea, todavía no tiene ni los diechiocho años. Diecisiete años y ya con una carga de vivencias a sus espaldas ya impresa para siempre en su comportamiento.

"Tucker, aún en Ohio, contempló la verde tierra inflada de Kentucky, que se extendía a lo largo del río. Se había marchado a principios de verano y regresaba ahora en plena primavera, con un invierno de guerra entre medias".

En este camino de vuelta a casa, caminando durante cien millas con una mochila que entre otras cosas contiene las once medallas recibidas en Corea, Tucker disfruta, palpa el paisaje del que forma parte, se detiene, paladea el bosque incluso disfrutando de sus noches oscuras (cerradas) durmiendo al aire libre. Durante esta vuelta es testigo del intento de violación de una adolescente, Rhonda, por parte de su tio y tras liberarla, unen sus caminos. A partir de ahi la novela es una montaña rusa de emociones, de violencia y de absoluto placer en lo que se refiere al estilo de Chris Offutt porque su narración es transparente, luminosa, no se regodea en detalles nimios, va al grano, es clara y directa, sin rellenos innecesarios y como mencioné antes, la capacidad de Offutt para describirnos a sus personajes es un talento que pocos escritores tienen. Esa sencillez es llegado un punto engañosa, porque está cargada de detalles invisibles en un primer vistazo, y sin embargo los pasajes en los que Offutt describe la relación de Tucker con su entorno, con la naturaleza, son para mí lo mejor de la novela.

“Tucker se despertó hambriento en Kentucky, desorientado, creyendo por un momento que los montes y el denso bosque eran los vestigios de un sueño y que seguía en Corea. Encendió un cigarrillo y se relajó ante ese paisaje familiar (…) El bosque resonaba con el zumbido chirríante de las langostas, que se elevaba y descendía en la mañana como un coro dirigido por un insecto maestro. Abruptamente dejaron de cantar. El silencio duró apenas medio minuto, luego comenzaron de nuevo”.

Algunos podrían definir esta novela como un country noir, pero yo creo que es algo más que una novela de género porque el acercamiento de Offutt a su historia es totalmente naturalista, con algunos toques de Flannery O’Connor y otros que pueden recordar, y salvando las distancias a esa otra etiqueta que es gótico más sureño. A pesar de la violencia de algunas escenas y de la atmósfera de la anticipación de un peligro siempre latente, es una novela tremendamente emotiva en los pequeños detalles cotidianos, domésticos y en torno a la naturaleza, que me han cautivado totalmente. Con pocas novelas me he emocionado como con esta novela, y todavía días después de haberla terminado, sigue dándome vueltas en la cabeza por la belleza de algunas escenas y la poesía que destilan: la tremenda humanidad de los personajes de Noche Cerrada se convierten en algo ya inolvidable. Tucker, Jo, Big Billy… personajes cuya esencia están tan bien captados por Offutt que son ya una marca de estilo. Una joya.

"Rhonda emergió del bosque con los tobillos húmedos de rocío. Saltó por encima de una rama empapada en lluvia con la agilidad de un potrillo y se aproximó a él. Tucker le tendió el trozo de madera afortunado. Ella lo olió y le sonrió, esta vez con una sonrisa plena. Le echó un vistazo al álamo que les cortaba el paso. Era la primera vez que pasaba una noche fuera de casa, y la primera que dormía en un automóvil".

https://kansasbooks.blogspot.com/2021...

[☮Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much to love in these few pages, Tucker being the main thing. He's a Korean War veteran, hitching a ride home, saving a girl from being raped by her uncle and then marrying her, making a life for them and their children by boot legging. The writing is spare but still manages descriptions that give you all the visuals you need to imagine their small house in backwoods Kentucky, the wooded setting, the ruts in the road leading through the hills, and all the struggles endured. You see the good in Tucker as well as the bad. The bad gets him into trouble, and the good saves his hide time and time again. After all, he goes off only when he needs to protect himself or his loved ones. I can't say I agree with some of the things he did but he knew how to survive (in Korea, in prison, and in the hills) and did it well, better than most.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Clouds blocked the stars, lending an unfathomable depth to the air. The tree line was gone and hilltops blended with the black tapestry of night. It was country dark. He closed his eyes, feeling safe."

This is a fantastic piece of Southern Gothic: Chris Offutt takes his readers to rural Kentucky to tell a story about family and revenge, crime and punishment, responsibility and love - and as in every book worth your while in this genre, the lines between moral categories start to blur the deeper you dive into the story: "War and prison had taught him that sides didn't really exist, that everyone was eventually caught in the middle of something."

Offutt's protagonist Tucker is nearly eighteen and just came back from the war in Korea, his whole possessions being 400 dollars of army pay. After he saves a young girl named Rhonda from violence, he marries her and they start a family. To support his wife and children, Tucker engages in criminal activities - he and Rhonda have known nothing but poverty, but they are trying very hard to provide for their kids and live a dignified, godly life (we're in the Bible belt, after all). And while this would be hard for every family in their situation, some of their children are born with disabilities - as the state prepares to take these kids away, Tucker takes extreme measures to protect his family, thus setting in motion a whole chain of events.

Offutt creates extremely vivid characters and knows exactly how to play with the conventions of Southern Gothic - his tale about justice and family is everything Fiona Mozley wanted her Booker-shortlisted novel Elmet to be. While the story clearly takes place in the 50's and 60's, the social issues Offutt tackles are shockingly current and seem to touch neuralgic points in Trump's divided America: The potentially negative role of the state, the unjust prison system and, most importantly, the situation of the rural poor. I really admire how Offutt portrays the thinking and the convictions of the Tucker family, because he makes the reader experience the plight of those that are often looked down upon or even loathed by people who deem themselves progressives.

It is obvious that Offutt knows quite a bit about Kentucky and its people: He was born in Lexington, and all of Offutt's books are set in Kentucky or are about people from Kentucky. This year, he was the recipient of the Kentucky Literary Award (for My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir). It also shows that Offutt teaches not only English, but also Screenwriting at Ole Miss: Many scenes have a cinematic feel, and this book would certainly make a great movie, preferrably directed by the Coen brothers.

So all in all, a really good book that will hopefully find many readers.