Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock – Reviewed by Guy Portman
These interlinked short stories are set in ‘The Holler’; an impoverished part of Knockemstiff, a real-life Ohioan backwater. ‘The Holler’s’ air is permanently imbued with the stench of sulphur emanating from the local papermill. As for the characters that populate the place, they are of the downtrodden, redneck type.
In one of the tales, a father lives vicariously through the son he is pumping full of steroids. Another revolves around two young men on a multi-day amphetamine binge, and a third sees a deranged recluse stumble upon an act of incest.
Topics include drugs, drinking, fighting, poverty, prostitution, sexual degeneracy and disease, particularly cancer. There is a profusion of worn-out trailers, tired furniture and untended yards.
Knockemstiff ’s lengthy timeline (mid 60s – late 90s) allows the reader to revisit the same people at different stages in their lives. This compelling aspect lends the compilation a cohesion that is so often lacking in short story collections.
The grubby setting, visceral prose and dark humour appealed to this reader. He would not hesitate in recommending these authentic tales of the underclass to all aficionados of the transgressive genre.
