Bleed County

by Walter Crabtree

Turge shifted his two-hundred lithe pounds from foot to foot as the cold well water streamed over his cut finger, turned pink, and swirled down the corroded drain. He torqued the faucet handle closed, wiped his hands on his bib, and reached up to pat the rear end of the naked calendar model hanging above the dirt encrusted metal sink. He glanced towards Gankey, busy spreading her lipstick; then he spat a brown stream of dip, “Let’s go woman.”She began limping towards the garage door.“Just when – Gankey, are you ever going to please me? I’ve told you a hundred times to quit wearing them noisy flip-flops – they sound like pigs farting.”“You know damn well I can’t afford them ortho shoes, so just shut up and keep walking.”They hurried along the cracked and uneven concrete sidewalk; Gankey strained to match Turge’s pace. The Bleed County rules are not always clear. Situation ethics abound, there are no “fair” contracts of social intercourse, and with a few elements of magical realism, the characters’ activities, and events are at times beyond our rational comprehension. Unrelenting “localism,” nepotism, and cultural paralysis prevail in the setting of this static rural culture – yet moral principles do somehow manage to seep in to make subtle, yet consequential changes for the betterment of the community. Bleed County could just as well be Orange County, California, a New York Borough, or Paris, France – however in Bleed County’s case, there has arisen a unique Mason Dixie picket of Duck Tape, pickup trucks, southern belles and super creativity in the vein of blue grass music, and deep fried pickles. The folks of Bleed County have spilled their blood fighting in all their country’s wars; they make our whiskey, construct our raceways, and hold family and God above all else. Get to know these wonderful characters and you will take even more pride and pleasure in this distinctive bit of Americana.The author masterfully brings Bleed County to life, affecting the reader to see, hear, touch, and smell the story as it unfolds with unexpected twists. Things are not always as they appear in Bleed County, lending a wonderful undercurrent of suspense right up to the last page.

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2011

Reviews

[Janet Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. I'm not that much into fiction (mostly read techie books) - but once I started reading Bleed County, my eyes refused to look away except for hunger or sleep. The story moved fast, instantly drew me in, and didn't let me go until it was finished. This is a first publication for this author, and I certainly hope he writes more! I have this in paperback and kindle versions.

Bleed County - Paperback
Bleed County

Bleed County - Kindle