Wild Punch

by Creston Lea

"Mr. Lea can write one hell of a story . . . wonderful awful scary marvelous stories—I kept expecting to hit the wall, to be overwhelmed with depression at the intractable fates he chronicles, but somehow, magically, he kept me reading through and out the other side of grim right into stubborn awe. Get this book in print so I can give copies to everyone I know."— Dorothy Allison

"Lea is a new voice for the rural North Country in the tradition of Howard Frank Mosher, Russell Banks and Annie Proulx. His prose crackles with insight. He'll make you laugh and he'll make you cry, and if you're that North Country person he'll make you understand yourself a little better."— Ernest Hebert

"Attentive, sure-footed, possessed of an engaging voice and, best of all, a spirit of generosity, Creston Lea's Wild Punch is an exciting new find for any serious reader of short stories."— Rick Bass These debut stories, set in northern New England, portray the revelatory moments of small-timers, clergymen, hotheads, day laborers, motorcycle racers, loggers, horse farmers, and young veterans of the Gulf War. In Wild Punch , Creston Lea achieves the rare congruence of language and landscape. Creston Lea 's writing is realistic and understated. His style can be compared to writers like Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff. He is as much a master of local grit as he is of local color. Lea is an author who clearly loves his characters. He understands their contradictions and their stark daily realities, and he writes about them with an authority based on authenticity, generosity, grace, and sharply observed humanity.

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever.

[Ryan DeRosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

bought this book outside the strand for $3, a bunch of short stories about sad people in the northeast. can’t say i enjoyed it too much although the writing and descriptions were pretty. the short story “knowledge” had to be my favorite out of the mix.

[ChrissieP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though these short stories portray a depressed Northeast, there remains a glimmer in the sturdy characters that populate the pages.

[Selene Colburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way awesome, beautifully crafted, heartbreaking, slap in the face stories.

[Eric Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pitch-perfect and concise

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

i wanted to be impressed

[Roman Sonnleitner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very finely crafted short stories, rather somber & bleak.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely finely crafted short stories about small town life in the Northeast, often somber and heartbreaking. A gifted writer and looking forward to reading more by Mr. Lea.

[Justin Tyner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal stories with much longing and casual intimacy. Some sad, true experiences onto page.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raymond Carver, but less depressing.