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jayyenn's review against another edition
5.0
A really amazing collection of prairie-noir short stories. The prose is often terse in clipped sentences of hard-boiled fiction. The first story opens like a rural heist movie and ends up extremely prescient of Colten Boushie’s murder, showing violence ensuing from the sense of entitlement of prairie landowners:
“You shot those men?”
“They were robbin’ me.”
“Your farm is fuckin’ three miles thataway.”
The first stories in the book retain many tropes of tough guy fiction but with complexity and vulnerability throughout. In the last two stories the lead characters are women and the final scene of tenderness turns the whole work on its head.
I’m looking forward to reading his novel next.
“You shot those men?”
“They were robbin’ me.”
“Your farm is fuckin’ three miles thataway.”
The first stories in the book retain many tropes of tough guy fiction but with complexity and vulnerability throughout. In the last two stories the lead characters are women and the final scene of tenderness turns the whole work on its head.
I’m looking forward to reading his novel next.
pearseanderson's review against another edition
5.0
"You did everything right," he said.
"Thanks," she said.
Kevin Hardcastle's debut anthology is a real work of art. But also documentary, in a way. The specific rugged lifestyle—and I mean lifestyle—reads so naturally to me I feel like I know a place and community better now. Hardcastle does not necessarily sit you through a plot, he just sits you. Characters move about their lives, or nights, usually draining bottles of alcohol and vomiting and talking to strangers. Most of them commit violent crimes, mostly with strangers, and hear beasts on the roadside when they stop to urinate or smoke. And yes, this can feel overmasculine and boring at times, but Hardcastle clearly wants to make it that way. He is leading you down into a world, and he wants you to read about gainly, unexplained action for fifteen pages just so that you can . . . live in another's shoes for a few moments? Whatever. I appreciate it. "The Rope," "Montana Border," "Most of the Houses Had Lost Their Lights" (which reads like a response to the aforementioned issues), and "Old Man Marchuk" are my favorites. They feel almost interconnected. The cousins of interconnected stories. Thank you for existing, antho + Hardman. And thanks for giving this book back, Daniel Winetaub. 9/10.
"Thanks," she said.
Kevin Hardcastle's debut anthology is a real work of art. But also documentary, in a way. The specific rugged lifestyle—and I mean lifestyle—reads so naturally to me I feel like I know a place and community better now. Hardcastle does not necessarily sit you through a plot, he just sits you. Characters move about their lives, or nights, usually draining bottles of alcohol and vomiting and talking to strangers. Most of them commit violent crimes, mostly with strangers, and hear beasts on the roadside when they stop to urinate or smoke. And yes, this can feel overmasculine and boring at times, but Hardcastle clearly wants to make it that way. He is leading you down into a world, and he wants you to read about gainly, unexplained action for fifteen pages just so that you can . . . live in another's shoes for a few moments? Whatever. I appreciate it. "The Rope," "Montana Border," "Most of the Houses Had Lost Their Lights" (which reads like a response to the aforementioned issues), and "Old Man Marchuk" are my favorites. They feel almost interconnected. The cousins of interconnected stories. Thank you for existing, antho + Hardman. And thanks for giving this book back, Daniel Winetaub. 9/10.
expendablemudge's review
5.0
Rating: 4.5* of five, rounded up because we can get a new homepage that nobody wanted but still can't have half-stars
My review of DEBRIS is up at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud for your amusement and edification. One day next week, I'll post the whole thing here for y'all clickophobes.
This 4.5-star debut story collection by Kevin Hardcastle won the 2016 Trillium Prize...$20,000! I must thank Biblioasis for sending me a review copy, and introducing me to another top-flight CanLit author to follow.
My review of DEBRIS is up at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud for your amusement and edification. One day next week, I'll post the whole thing here for y'all clickophobes.
This 4.5-star debut story collection by Kevin Hardcastle won the 2016 Trillium Prize...$20,000! I must thank Biblioasis for sending me a review copy, and introducing me to another top-flight CanLit author to follow.
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