Back to the Dirt: A Novel

by Frank Bill

A timeless—and timely— a gritty, wrenching novel from deep inside the traumas of the broken American male psyche

Miles is a Vietnam vet who’s worried he’s going to lose his job and his tenuous grasp on a stable life because of a fight he had with a coworker over some steroids. His PTSD and struggles to control his steroid-fueled violent tendencies complicate his life with his girlfriend Shelby, a stripper who only occasionally seems to have the proverbial heart of gold. She certainly seems to possess more kindness and generosity than her brother, Wylie, who’s currently on the run after being implicated in the deaths of two local Oxy dealers and has their family on his tail. When Wylie kidnaps his sister and holes up in Miles's country lair, it is, frankly, threatening to become a bit too much for steroid-addled Miles to keep together.

This is clearly Frank Bill territory. But in Back to the Dirt, he is going deeper and purer. As Bill peels back the layers of Miles’s history, accompanying him into his Vietnam War memories, the novel gets to the root of the traumas that have caused Miles—and his community—so much trouble. And this, truly, is the soul of the Frank Bill to speak of and for the forgotten struggles of the American heartland. He reaches deep for the core values—living close to the land, working with your hands—that have been obscured by generations of neglect, trauma, drug abuse, and desperation. This is a profound and important story that is only beginning to get its due attention—and Bill is its most visceral, essential chronicler.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, War, Audiobook

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2021

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to the Dirt is a gritty tour-de-force set in drug-ravaged middle America. Instead of Batman and Robin, we get Miles, an angry PTSD-suffering Vietnam Vet, working long hours at the local factory and trying to keep his steroid rage in check, and Nathaniel, an ex law officer who was so sick to death of corruption, he let it all go. They are in a small midwestern town with Oxy being traded openly in exchange for wide-eyed stares and hopelessness. Miles’ girlfriend, Shelby, is a stripper who is stuck playing nursemaid for her drunk of a father and drug addict twin brother.

They are all beset by more pain and trauma than anyone could bear, most of all Miles, who when he’s not cracking skulls, thinks he’s back in Vietnam getting shelled or watching his fellow soldiers fall apart. He literally is caught between two worlds and doesn’t know which one he’s in minute by minute.

When Nathaniel’s drug peddling brother is gunned down, Miles and Nathaniel stumble into becoming allies of a sort and set out to find the evil doers and exact vengeance, not exactly easy when Miles is tripping, the walls are melting, and he doesn’t know whether he’s in the jungles of Vietnam or back home.

What sets this unlikely crime story apart from others is the depth of hopelessness everyone bears and the exacting mental toll all the lifelong agony causes.

[Terrance Layhew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sincerity of the book prevents it feeling exploitative of the main character, a Vietnam war veteran who’s a strength junkie and dealing with PTSD and roid-rage.

Back to the Dirt is a frenetic read (there are no chapter breaks), it’s full of pulse pounding action, while remaining as visceral as a stubbed toe.

Frank Bill weaves delicate subject matter together into this jarring, but compelling read.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal

BACK TO THE DIRT is dynamite, and ranks as one of the most powerful novels I've ever read. This is haunting, ferocious, masterful fiction. Highly recommended!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Bill tackles difficult and brutal subject matter in this book. I think it must have been really hard to write from the perspective of a PTSD suffering Vietnam vet, let alone one under the influence of steroids and LSD. So much trauma contained in one book. But Bill does it well and the result is stunning.

[Ross Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 2001 in Indiana and ex Vietnam vet Miles Knox, who work the night shift in a ‘dirt factory’ is struggling with his PTSD and also his steroid fuelled rages. His stripper girlfriend, Shelby, 27 years his junior, has gone awol and Miles is desperate to track her down. Nathaniel is an ex county cop whose, prescription drug dealing brother and sister-in-law have been murdered and Shelby’s drug addicted brother Wylie is the chief suspect. Miles and Nathaniel make an unlikely duo but they team up to try and track down the brother and sister, to try a figure out what is going on.
This is a violent, alcohol and drugged fuelled trip through a blue collared landscape inhabited by a collection of tragic characters who can’t escape their past. Miles PTSD take the form of a constant internal dialogue with a dead colleague who was killed in Vietnam. This internal dialogue also tells Mile’s backstory and explains the events that led to Miles fractured mindset. Shelby and Wylie are equally tragic figures having been abused by their father Whitey also a Vietnam vet and a contemporary of Miles. The story is littered with minor characters all of whom are equally disturbed and have turned to alcohol, drugs or violence as a perceived escape from their troubles. It’s a bleak, violent novel but not without its humour, which is as dark as it comes and there is eventually salvation of sorts.
In the afterword Frank Bill explains where the inspiration came for the novel, with the character of Miles Knox being a amalgam of both his father, who was a Vietnam vet and himself, who was a factory worker addicted to working out and with aspirations to become something better.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*

[Joe L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really not much to say about this one.

This work didn’t get me hooked until about page 50 or so, then was off to the races.
Thankful for finding this book on GR on recommended books involving veterans.
4/5 stars.

[David Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anticipated this one for a long time and it didn’t disappoint.

Ticks all of the beats that I love Frank Bill for. Back to the Dirt is visceral, violent and harrowing - and paced perfectly.

The tension builds as you flip back and forth between characters and the past - with every section break you need to push on to see what happens.

Worth the wait and definitely going to be rereading.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in south eastern Ky I feel like I know these characters somehow. They are familiar personalities I've barely glimpsed, randomly bumped into, had a candid conversation with, or known well to avoid. The depths of chaos in Mile's and Shelby's minds can not be compared. The whirl wind of events that kept me on my toes since the very beginning of the book left me almost afraid to finish because I cared for the characters so much I didn't want it to end. It staid interesting all through out. I could not take my eyes away but to rest. This would undoubtedly make a great mini series or movie if done true to the author's ideal.

[Sam Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing with grit and guts. Psychos, misfits and crime galore. If you're into that, read it. If not, read it anyway.

[Brad Wojak · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I did not completely gell with the plot, I loved the writing so much that it won me over. Bill is an excellent writer and this was a super engaging read.

[Mike]

dnf

[Jacob Dzik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best piece of fiction about the horrors of Vietnam I’ve seen since The Deer Hunter.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bleeeeaaakkkk

[Rob Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty

This is a haunted book. The characters Frank Bill writes about in this novel all have different spectral visitors they have to carry with them. Miles has his dead soldier buddy Childers from Vietnam whispering in his ear through every steroid-infused altercation. Shelby, Mile’s girlfriend, deals with the ghost of a traumatic upbringing. Nathaniel sets upon avenging his dead brother and sister-in-law even though it was the handling of narcotics that led to their end. Complicated lives with messed up families and outlaws lead to the manifestation of ghosts in Frank Bill’s novel. Choices are made on how to deal with them and no one is the same by the time we get to the end of “Back to the Dirt”. I dare say after reading you will be haunted yourself for a while.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

War is Hell and for anyone experiencing it, the memories never leave. Such is the case with Miles who has PTSD following his tour of duties in Vietnam. Over 30 years later these experiences impact on his every day life and those close to him.
A powerful and uncompromising read although not always easy but well worth the ride.

[Paul McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dark, and disturbing book, even for this author.
It is 2 stories melted together. Which is very well explained why it is this way in the afterward.
Story one is about:
Miles- a Steroid addicted late fifties ex Vietnam vet with serious anger management issues and suffers from PTSD and hallucinates from his time in Vietnam.
Shelby- a 30-year-old stripper who Dates Miles.
Wylie- Shelby’s twin brother who is a degenerate opioid addicted mess.
Whitey- Wylie and Shelby’s father, who is a reprehensible Vietnam vet, and alcoholic.
Nathaniel – an ex-cop whose brother and sister-in-law are killed in the beginning of the book.
The second story is about Mile’s time in Vietnam, and is told in remembrances, flashbacks and a ongoing discussion with a dead soldier friend. Miles time in Vietnam makes Apocalypse Now look like a Disney cartoon.
The book takes place in the span of a couple of days.
Be warned this book is filled with seriously dark themes, that are not hinted at, but instead are told in very graphic detail.
These authors books are always a hard look at people considered to be forgotten and unneeded in our country, you know middle class blue collar workers. But you can’t read this authors stuff and not learn something about these types of people.

[Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

fitting read for memorial day weekend. A damaged vet and disgruntled cop work through the America we know exists but we close our eyes too. Great read that makes you think as well

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down once it really got going. I found the seamless blend of flashbacks between the war and the present day to be a really unique writing style.
This book reminded me of "The Devil All the Time" by Donald Ray Pollack during some of the darker parts. This book also reminded me of the ending scene of the movie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", with an older tough as fuck character trying to combat a stressful situation while on a major drug trip.

[Emir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intimate portrayal of a snapshot of America. A story of PTSD and what thousands of vets deal with every day. A story of struggle in the heart of America, of drugs, poverty and lack of care by the government. A story that rings true in every decade since the Vietnam war. Unfortunately a story that continues today.
Powerful writing by Frank based on his life.

[Bia Mihart · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a unique blend of country rock beats and sensorial stimulus, Back to the Dirt booms with an unmistakable voice rooted deep in dark realism. Atypical and coarse, raw at times and often forgoing standard academic formalism, Frank Bill’s literary style effortlessly stands out through its apparent simplicity, broad vocabulary and uncensored diction. With an unfiltered attention to unsightly details, he flavorfully paints with words creating a visually powerful subtext that enhances the intensity of the story-line while easily illustrating a coherent spatiality which progressively acquires texture and depth. The short sentences, in rapid succession, ensure the fast-paced dynamic of the narrative and take the reader on this foray into territories of violence, substance abuse, incest and desolation. Drawing on personal elements and raw cut reality, the result is an emotionally challenging journey through the eyes of a Vietnam vet, Miles Knox. Tortured by PTSD and unrelenting in his desire to keep aging at bay, Miles battles demons of the past while his present – day existence seems to be taking a quick plunge into a mix of ambiguities, contradictions and even paranormal events. Accidentally caught in someone else’s quest for the truth, Miles finds himself on a hallucinatory LDS trip at the end of which, while his demons seem to finally quiet, the fragile stability of his life comes shattering to pieces.

An ongoing vertigo fueled by the sprawling of landscape, the surreal dimension of introspection, inner-conflict, flashback and the ever-changing contours of reality, Back to the Dirt is an expansive literary palette of the sensitive and the explicit, one which individualizes Frank Bill in terms of style, approach and authenticity. In the end, truth is you don’t just read Frank Bill. You feel the world behind his words, heart thumping on a different rhythm after each full stop.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to the Dirt is a must-read. All of the elements that have made his previous output so compelling are here, along with an even more personal touch of character and story. A brutal drug-related murder sets the tight plot in motion and we follow a realistic, well-drawn cast as they traverse the aftermath of the brutal killing. Bill's engrossing tale of revenge, redemption, family, and loss, set against the backdrop of a decaying American dream, is both thrilling and emotionally heartfelt. From the jungles of Vietnam to the factories and bars of rural USA, Bill captures life as it is and what it takes to survive. A brawler's mix of terse sentence structure and creative descriptive passages keeps the story moving without sacrificing the strength of his prose. Back to the Dirt is Frank Bill punching with all of his powerhouse literary prowess.

[Matěj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Donnybrook, so I had high hopes for Bill's new novel. Around halfway point I got scared there's a fantasy element, but thankfully that got sorted near the end. I appreciate the epilogue, where the author describes the impetus of the novel. And honestly all the weightlifting talk was a treat (at least for me). If you don't dig vets with major PTSD, senseless violence, descriptions of dude lifting in his garage and discussions on life in post-industrial life in the South, this is probably not for you.

[Catherine Storer · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was put off by this book. Just couldn’t take the rude banter and conversation. But ! After finishing it, I’m appreciative of the “realness “ of the entire piece. Miles’ world is one I’ve never populated and it was so incredibly different than mine that I judged it initially without looking at it from a different perspective. I cannot say I liked the book but again, the characters taught me something as did the way the author presented these views.

[John Schorg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tough, unsentimental book about damaged people trying to get through life against some difficult odds. The book gets to be a little too much in its second half, with a lot of hallucinatory behavior, but the dialogue rings true, and the Afterword is superb, as the author talks about his father. For me, the shining work for Frank Bill remains Crimes in Southern Indiana, but everything this gentleman does deserves attention.

[Philip Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miles, a Vietnam vet now working at a dirt factory, is desperate to track down his girlfriend, who has disappeared. He joins forces with Nathaniel, who's looking for the murderer of his drug dealing brother and brother's wife. The story is full of violence, grim, and seems hopeless at times, as even the heroes are crippled by PTSD, "roid rage", and mental illness. Miles is actually a legitimate hero, trying to cope in a ruined society.

[Wesley Garnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not an accurate representation of middle America, poverty or veteran life. Speaking as someone who falls into all of those categories it's just an over the top attempt to capture "gristle". The most accurate representation was the experience of PTSD. The author seemed to capture that well. Everything else was just poor writing for a story that could have been turned into 50 pages.

[Ben Brackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had the savage, poetic language from Bill that I love, but didn't hit me as hard as his other books. Still a very decent southern noir.

While I thought the political notes were interesting, there were a couple places they were shoe horned in so hard that it was offputting.

[Robert Morgan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Bill dug deep for this one. Imagine Harry Crews without the farcical antics—though there are antics and action aplenty here. A convergence structure with measured Vietnam flashbacks. This read is anything but uninteresting. Real page-turner. Frank Bill is a Grit Lit God.

[Vogar123 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time on this can’t believe I bothered to finish this. Whatever Frank bill once had as a writer is gone. This was bad all around.