Thrillville, U.S.A.

by Taylor Koekkoek

An amusement park employee overdoses after eating the gel of a fentanyl patch. Two homeless men discover the body of a drowned woman. A sister encounters a dangerous stranger while driving her brother to rehab. Ex-lovers seek to rekindle their relationship with the aid of an earthquake.

In the nine masterful stories that comprise Thrillville, USA, debut author Taylor Koekkoek depicts Americans living on the margins of society, seeking escape from isolation and underemployment in drugs, booze, and self-destructive relationships. While the action is set largely in the rural Pacific Northwest, the characters’ malaise and disaffectedness is endemic of the country as a whole. The title takes its name from the aforementioned amusement park, but Thrillville is as much a state of mind as an actual place—a sardonic commentary on contemporary America consumed by opioid addiction, social media obsession, wealth inequality and political polarization.

Yet as haunting as these stories are, they are not hopeless. Gorgeously written, they share a transcendental quality—an acknowledgment of and appreciation for the beauty in all things, even the most profane and grotesque.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

Unknown Binding

First published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Joachim Stoop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine out of ten I call a short collection a mixed bag, but not this one. They were all 4 star stories. None was worth 5, which is a pity cuz less sticky, yet none were 2 or 3, which is rather rare.

I loved the thongue in cheeck humor used to describe total losers trying to keep their heads up and their lives on the rails.

Really promising debut!

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story collection. Most of the stories happen in Oregon or at least close to it. The title, Thrillville, USA, used to be a dangerous, ramshackle amusement park off of I-5 in Oregon. There are a few characters who appear in one story and reemerge in another. There are also some locations in the pacific Northwest that are revisited, including Seattle and Oregon.

These stories are great, dark, and very emotional. Your writing is so awesome, so vibrant, and at times, creepy. All of the stories include characters who are pitted in desperate situations. I particularly loved "The Drowned Woman" story when a body is found floating ni the lake, and a vagrant is found sitting on the shore. The way the author described the setting, I felt like I was sitting on the banks of that lake.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...

[hew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read this because I loved Thrillville and Thrillville: Off the Rails on PS2. I know it’s unrelated.

I like the cover.

Enjoyed the writing. Not always the stories. Really liked one of the stories though.

I’m unlikely to remember this book.

I’ll leave it there. Farewell

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this reminded me of the delight I felt reading Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower for the first time. And I promise that I formulated that thought before seeing a blurb by Wells Tower on the back--good job, blurb solicitor! My favorites were The Artist's House, Wreck, and Cooper Goes to the Country.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunningly beautiful writing. The stories are writerly and tragic, with characters who feel like passive observers of their own lives. But the way the author builds and builds the tiny details and then sneaks in a moment of gorgeous insight…it’s all worth it.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a collection of short stories. Each one presents different characters and scenarios, some quite common, some unusual.
What I missed in each story is...the heart. I felt I was reading a chronicle of facts. The writing style is good, but, for me, it is too distant and too cold to be able to engage the reader.

[Dave Van Rompaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He said he wanted me to know that while I was out there in rehab or worse, there are still people carrying me to heaven in their heads."

Oh how I enjoyed this. A collection of short stories, the American dream, writers, amusement parks, dogs and hope, I laughed a lot. It's good. Really refreshing to find a collection of consistent quality. 4,5*

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Trent Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite fiction read of 2023. Easy. A couple things I liked: 1) All of the short stories in this collection are set in Oregon. 2) Koekkoek’s style reminds me of Raymond Carver. Blunt, honest, and earthy. I dig that.

[Jessica White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so intense from the start and I freaking loved it.

Thrillville, USA is a collection of daaaaaaark short stories that tie together in a round about way. It's really just stories about self-destruction. There's drug and alcohol abuse, death, infidelity, unemployment, homelessness, and really just the nitty gritty underside of life that no one really seems to want to talk about. It kind of reminded of Devil All the Time. Life was just constantly kicking the shit out of these guys while they were just trying to make the best of it.

Thrillville, USA is actually the dying amusement park where a lot of these stories take place. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly made me love this book as much as I did. It's not thrilling like the title suggests but it is depressing and messy and real.

More short story reviews at A Reader's Diary!

[Zenon Sommers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deserves more attention. At first, the darker elements of the stories were dragging me down. Addiction, overdose, death. Then, like an unassuming little flower, hope started to peek out at the end of some of the stories. The final story then redeemed the darkness of the earlier stories with a full showing of a balance between dark reality and bright future.

The style drew me in. I'm not an expert in literature or anything, but this is the kind of work that you can tell was written with expert craft. And yet it's still approachable. It held my attention better than any non-Twain short story collection I'd read before.

My one point of lingering dissatisfaction is with the romantic relationships the author presents as ideal. I'm a conservative fellow, and so I can't give full marks to a work in which marriage is presented in an exclusively negative light, while some other relationships are treated as ideals.

It's a beautiful collection, functioning better as a whole than any individual story would on its own. Highly recommended.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection floored me. The stories are thrilling, wise, funny, and heartbreaking. Amid the destruction and desperation, there are careful observations of beauty and humanity. There is a striking authenticity to the characters and settings. Each place feels real and lived in. And my goodness, the sentences! So many of them knocked me flat with their penetrating insight. I loved every story and will be returning to each one of them.

[Paula Randler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m obsessed with short stories. How can anyone pack such emotional power into 20 pages?

This collection is wonderful. A little dark, but leaves you seeing the light. “Dirtnap” was absolutely captivating, and almost landed this whole collection in 5-star territory, but the rest of the collection was good, solid, not amazing, so I kept it in the 4-star range.

Wonderful characters and absurdly real plots that leave you wanting more - just like great SSs should.

[L.B. Sedlacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t typically read too many short stories, but I did like the ones in this book. The characters seem real, the situations too and something actually happens in them. They are slice of life stories but with something more, something lasting, something true. There’s a neat surprise in the last story for the book overall.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really charmed by this collection of short stories. Maybe it's only a 4.5, but definitely a rounding up number, even if it's not a perfect 5.

The stories have been sticking with me, images painted in my brain. And the phrases snuck up on me like with any good book - unpredictably insightful and beautiful.

[Srujana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is technically superb, but the stories themselves didn't really have any heart to them. I wasn't looking forward to the next story; had to drag myself through them. It's a short book thankfully.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Review to come....

[Brian Kerr]

to-read

[Deanna Persons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful writing but I guess I'm just not a fan of short stories. The Artists House, The Drowned Woman, and The Flight Instructor were my favorites.

[Paola Fornari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharp, tight, perceptive: I loved every story and will look out for more by this author!

[Tikka Nikky]

Good

[Chris Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some beautiful writing about people in some terrible places but never feels exploitative or cheap. The title story and "Wreck" were my favorites.

[Max Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Definitely recommend this one. Promising debut from a Portland author in the year of our lord, 2023. Hilarious and tragic, usually at the same time.

[Hamzah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing read. Well written and felt familiar.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

love a good short story collection, and this was no exception. i don't know if any stories will ever top dirtnap for me!

[Straw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obviously not my favorite collection of short stories.

[Telia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of it was great, but something big was missing

[Alexis Meservey]

3.7/5

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I want from a book of short stories.

[Peter Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The motorcyclist was coming at him, and Cooper said, "Buddy?" and then my brother was punched in the face by an incensed motorcyclist in the snow in the middle of nowhere."