{"product_id":"knockemstiff-9780767928304","title":"Knockemstiff","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"More engaging than any new fiction in years.\" --Chuck Palahniuk \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn unforgettable work of fiction that peers into the soul of a tough Midwestern American town to reveal the sad, stunted but resilient lives of its residents. \u003cb\u003eKnockemstiff \u003c\/b\u003eis a genuine entry into the literature of place.\u003cp\u003eSpanning a period from the mid-sixties to the late nineties, the linked stories that comprise \u003cb\u003eKnockemstiff \u003c\/b\u003efeature a cast of recurring characters who are irresistibly, undeniably real. A father pumps his son full of steroids so he can vicariously relive his days as a perpetual runner-up body builder. A psychotic rural recluse comes upon two siblings committing incest and feels compelled to take action. Donald Ray Pollock presents his characters and the sordid goings-on with a stern intelligence, a bracing absence of value judgments, and a refreshingly dark sense of bottom-dog humor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDonald Ray Pollock\u003c\/b\u003e, recipient of the 2009 PEN\/Bingham Fellowship, made his literary debut in 2008 with the critically acclaimed story collection, \u003ci\u003eKnockemstiff\u003c\/i\u003e. He worked as a laborer at the Mead Paper Mill in Chillicothe, Ohio, from 1973 to 2005. He holds an MFA from Ohio State University. His work has appeared in, among other publications, \u003ci\u003eEpoch\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGranta\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Anchor Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50646634463506,"sku":"9780767928304","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_03af413a-bfe4-45a3-b219-acbc0dbd6653.jpg?v=1733182794","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/knockemstiff-9780767928304","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}