Knockemstiff

Knockemstiff is a collection of short stories by Donald Ray Pollock. It's the best collection I've read since The Pugilist At Rest, by Thom Jones.

All of the stories take place in the impoverished mill town of Knockemstiff, Ohio. There is so much to love about the stories: The original voices, the stupid decisions of the doomed characters, the irreverance, the immediate and vivid language. I drove to six different stores in search of this book, and I would drive across state lines if I couldn't find a copy.

It's difficult to choose a favorite story, but forced, I'll go with Hair's Fate. Only thirteen pages, I can't get the images from my head: The boy jerking off in the shed with his sister's doll, jizzing in the doll's blonde hair as his father walks in. The redneck father who as punishment chops off the boy's hair with a butcher knife, leaving his bald head scabbed. The boy running away, hitching a ride with a fat trucker who loads him up on speed. The redneck trucker's dingy doublewide trailer. The trucker offering his dead mother's wig, to cover the scabs, then cutting the wig so it fits. The boy and the trucker staring in the mirror at the purty wig, the trucker's sweaty hand on his shoulder ...

Yeah, all the stories are intense.

Born in the USA.

Pugilist at Rest

The first stories from this collection were printed in the early 90's, and suddenly every where you turned there was another Thom Jones story.  From janitor to literary star seemingly overnight, some dismissed him as a flavor of the month.  Unbeknownst to most, Thom had been laboring at the craft for over twenty years.  At the time, I was writing seriously, studying, workshopping, and these stories illuminated the impact of angry, manic characters armed with original voices.  There is no way to overstate the impact of Thom Jones on my writing, or to properly credit his impact on the short story form.  He is without question one of the best short story writers, ever.

Unfortunately, Thom has only published three collections in fifteen years.  I read that he is suffering from health problems.  Let's hope he heals up and delivers another collection soon.

Check his work here.