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Everyone's Notes
vhenoch
on
American Salvage (Made in Michigan Writers)
In the line-up: Book Club reading for March. Short and savage.
An illusive snake in the garden dissolves a marriage. A night in a bowling alley leads to a string of unforgettable accidents. A fourteen year old with a hunting rifle never misses what she’s aiming for.
No words are wasted and every voice rings true in Bonnie Jo Campbell's collection of short told of broken bodies and broken souls. Born out of junk yards and scrap heaps, the Rust Belt debris of Michigan industry, battered on back roads, or blown in out of storms, her characters shock and surprise, shine light and ultimately find grace and redemption. Stunning and spare, American Salvage is story telling at its best: taut, nuanced, brutally honest and brave.
7 months ago
lisapeet
on
American Salvage (Made in Michigan Writers)
Really good writing, brings to mind a female, slightly more contemporary take on Breece D'J Pancake's territory. Dark stuff -- the characters are all injured in one way or another -- but very well done. It's all classic and not show-offy in the least. The last story, "Boar Taint," called to mind Flannery O'Connor's "Greenleaf," though with an upbeat ending -- probably the most optimistic story in the collection. Now I'm really sorry it didn't win the NBA.
8 months ago
Gayla
on
American Salvage (Made in Michigan Writers)
Well-written short stories (many of them very short) set in Michigan, my current home state. I was rooting for this book because of the Michigan connection, but I wasn't really wowed by it. It began to not work for me because so many of the characters and themes were so similar.
8 months ago
