Knocked Stiff by Donald Ray Pollock

I was recently floored by praise for my book from Donald Ray Pollock.  Thinking back to when I first discovered his work, I thought I would urge anyone who reads this blog on occasion to run out and discover him as well. 

His collection, Knockemstiff, is simply fantastic.  It's the type of raw, fast, electric fiction that plugs into your head and rattles you . . . a book like a Taser.  Knockemstiff, Ohio is the location and it's a real place, one that Pollock knows well, one full of characters you will not soon forget. 

But I don’t want to make this an infomercial.  You can look at all the well-deserved praise for the book and order a copy on Amazon by clicking here.  Do it, you won't be sorry.  

I want to talk about the night I knew I was going to buy and read this man’s book.  I was in St. Louis to see Chuck Palahniuk, who was going to read one of his stories, sign some books, and do a live interview.  Along for the ride was a “who is this guy?” named Donald Ray Pollock, who was on tour with Chuck. 

He basically “opened” for Chuck by reading a story from his collection, “Bactine,” about two men who—you guessed it—huff Bactine to get high, hang out at a donut shop at 3 a.m. and hit on the less-than-desirable women that arrive.  Sound funny?  Well, it is.  There was laughter at several of the zinger lines, the turns of phrase, the rich and unexpected language of the inhabitants of Knockemstiff . . . but I specifically recall an underlying tenderness in the prose, an adoration for these characters.  They held a certain kind of nobility, and the story ended with a hint of sadness.  These weren’t caricatures meant to entertain—these were people engaging in their lives, no matter what tragic and strange turns those lives were taking. 

The story was fantastic.  And while Chuck had his line of fans that curled out the door, Donald had the place to himself.  He seemed at ease, went out for what I presumed to be the occasional smoke, signed a few books, chatted with a few people.  He was easy to approach, down to Earth, happy to have someone discussing his story with him. 

Knockemstiff is about a small town and the situations that lurk there . . . so when I was finished with my novel, I wanted to take a chance and see if he would read it, and perhaps like it since it grew from the tiny towns of Southern Illinois.  I asked my publisher to send him an advance copy. 

And just like that night in St. Louis, he was gracious enough to give me the time of day.  More than that, even.  He read my book and sent the following praise:

“Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page of The Samaritan.  Stretching artfully from the shabbiness of life in a small Illinois town to the glitter and greed of Hollywood, this first novel about a shy, emotionally damaged loser with a bizarre but coveted ability to regenerate his vital parts is one of the most engaging and ultimately satisfying that I've had the pleasure to read in a long time.”

Incredibly humbling, coming from a writer I respect a great deal.  And I think if you take the time to read Knockemstiff, you'll respect him a great deal as well, and be lights out entertained in the process.

So for you writerly folks who may be reading this, the take-home is to attend those readings, be open to discovering the next good book, and network.  I recall running an extremely high fever that day . . . and if I would not have gone, I would never have discovered Donald Ray Pollock or his amazing book.