Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock

This past Tuesday, Sam and I took a trip to B&N as part of our anniversary date. I looked for almost all of the books on my Appalachian Lit wishlist, and this is what I found.

I first heard about Donald Ray Pollock from Ron Rash at a book event when I discovered that the cashier line is been standing in was actually a signing line for an author event. Startled at suddenly finding myself standing in front of one of the most famous Appalachian writers of our time, I sputtered out something at being from Appalachian Ohio. Rash then recommended Pollock’s work.

I watched The Devil All the Time and discussed the movie with Chuck Corra when he was on Reading Women’s Patreon Podcast. We chatted about Appalachian noir, Appalachian stereotypes, and translating a work of fiction into film.

But I’ve still never read the author myself. So here I am ready to dive in. See, my grandparents are from Ross County, a hop, skip, and a jump from Pollock’s hometown of Knockemstiff. So when I’m reading about these characters, there’s a weird sense of familiarity combined with the surrealist quality of Pollock’s writing.

I’ll let you know more of my thoughts when I finish the book. Stay tuned! 📚