Synopsis:

"In this first novel, Benedict continues his exploration of rural West Virginia life begun in his two short story collections, The Wrecking Yard ( LJ 1/91) and Town Smokes ( LJ 5/15/87). As in the short stories, the writing here is strong and vivid. The wide cast of characters includes Goody (a boxer), Dwight (a tourist guide), drug enforcement agents, marijuana growers, gunrunners, illegal immigrants, and a variety of lost and corrupt souls. They live and die in an atmosphere of bleakness and despair, with violence and brutality as constant companions. The novel begins slowly, but, once the characters come together, the action is nonstop (and none of it pleasant). Benedict's style and themes may be easier to digest in short story format, but there is no denying the book's gut-wrenching power. Buy this for fans of the early novels of Cormac McCarthy and Benedict's earlier books."
Library Journal

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Author Comment:

My first novel.

Topics/Categories:

Appalachia, Appalachian, backwoods, Boxing, country, Drugs, Guns, hillbilly, marijuana, mountain, mountaineer, redneck, rural, West Virginia

Genre:

Fiction

Type of Work:

Novel

Publishers:

Nan A. Talese/Doubleday

Awards:

Finalist for the Hammet Prize New York Times Notable Book Steinbeck Award (Britain)

Original Publish Date:

January 1, 1994

Formats:

hardback, trade paperback

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