Book description
In 'Bactine', a toothless layabout takes a break from nursing his
crippled uncle and spends the evening abusing solvents with an
acquaintance. The fumes only serve to exacerbate his dismay, though,
and a trip to an all-night coffee shop causes some unpleasant
recollections to surface.
In 'Giganthomachy', Teddy and William are two nine year-old boys who
like to argue over whether they'll play nuclear war or Vietnam games
in the yard. William's more fantastic suggestions rile Teddy, who
suffers enough deranged fantasy when he retreats inside every evening.
In 'Pills', Bobby and Frankie take a notion to leave Knockemstiff
for California and a new life amongst the film stars. But the four
stolen bottles of pharmaceutical grade speed they'd intended to fund
the trip with prove mighty alluring, and the road out of the township
grows ever more elusive.
Part of the Storycuts series, these three short stories were
previously published in the collection Knockemstiff.
Don Pollock grew up in Knockemstiff and worked in the Mead papermill
for thirty-two years before leaving to become a writer. He teaches
literature and composition at Ohio State University.
