Book description
Blunt, brutal, but infused with a deep sympathy, Knockemstiff
is a pitch-dark and hilarious collection of stories set in a tiny town
in Southern Ohio.
The youth of Knockemstiff grow up in the malignant shadow of their
parents; raised on abuse, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, they are
stunted in every possible way: emotionally, mentally, sometimes
physically. They talk a lot about escape but they never so much as
cross the county line.
Donald Ray Pollock, recipient of the 2009 PEN/Bingham Fellowship,
made his literary debut in 2008 with the critically acclaimed
short-story collection Knockemstiff, which was followed by the
novel, The Devil All the Time. He worked as a labourer at the
Mead Paper Mill in Chillicothe, Ohio, from 1973 to 2005.
www. donaldraypollock. com
