Knockemstiff - donald ray pollock

A debut collection of terrifying, darkly funny stories concerning the drug-addled, beaten-down inhabitants of a southern Ohio holler called Knockemstiff.

Pollock grabs by the throat and doesnt let go--Kirkus.

More engaging than any new fiction in years.

--Chuck Palahniuk An unforgettable work of fiction that peers into the soul of a tough Midwestern American town to reveal the sad, stunted but resilient lives of its residents.

Knockemstiff is a genuine entry into the literature of place.

Spanning a period from the mid-sixties to the late nineties, the linked stories that comprise Knockemstiff feature a cast of recurring characters who are irresistibly, undeniably real.

A father pumps his son full of steroids so he can vicariously relive his days as a perpetual runner-up body builder.

A psychotic rural recluse comes upon two siblings committing incest and feels compelled to take action.

Donald Ray Pollock presents his characters and the sordid goings-on with a stern intelligence, a bracing absence of value judgments, and a refreshingly dark sense of bottom-dog humor.