Rust and Bone: Stories

by Craig Davidson

“Enough incident, shock, and suspense for a dozen books. . . . Filled with stories you haven’t heard before.”―Bret Easton Ellis In steel-tipped prose, Craig Davidson conjures a savage world populated by fighting dogs, prizefighters, sex addicts, and gamblers. In his title story, Davidson introduces an afflicted boxer whose hand never properly heals after a bone is broken. The fighter's career descends to bouts that have less to do with sport than with survival: no referee, no rules, not even gloves. In "A Mean Utility" we enter an even more desperate arena: dogfights where Rottweilers, pit bulls, and Dobermans fight each other to the death.

Davidson's stories are small monuments to the telling detail. The hostility of his fictional universe is tempered by the humanity he invests in his characters and by his subtle and very moving observations of their motivations. He shares with Chuck Palahniuk the uncanny ability to compel our attention, time and time again, to the most difficult subject matter.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Canada, Horror, Noir, Gritty

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Craig Davidson is a Canadian author of short stories and novels, who has published work under both his own name and the pen names Patrick Lestewka and Nick Cutter

Born in Toronto, Ontario, he was raised in Calgary and St. Catharines.

His first short story collection, Rust and Bone, was published in September 2005 by Penguin Books Canada, and was a finalist for the 2006 Danuta Gleed Literary Award. Stories in Rust and Bone have also been adapted into a play by Australian playwright Caleb Lewis and a film by French director Jacques Audiard.

Davidson also released a novel in 2007 named The Fighter. During the course of his research of the novel, Davidson went on a 16-week steroid cycle. To promote the release of the novel, Davidson participated in a fully sanctioned boxing match against Toronto poet Michael Knox at Florida Jack's Boxing Gym; for the novel's subsequent release in the United States, he organized a similar promotional boxing match against Jonathan Ames. Davidson lost both matches.

His 2013 novel Cataract City was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Reviews

[Kelly (and the Book Boar)]

I bought this book for a penny (A MOTHERF'ING PENNY - WOOT WOOT!!!!!!), and then a client sent this . . . .





Now someone bring me a fork.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in high school, 1990-1994 I read everything through the lens of a drama student. The drama nerds at our school, in the time that I was there, were all very serious about the craft. We competed at tournaments and competitions.
I would have given *anything* to have found a short story collection like this one in order to pull monologues from it to compete with.
Craig Davidson is hands down my favorite author next to Stephen King.
He's a genius--the way he works with words and insight is remarkable. He knows people. He knows human beings better than so many other authors that work from the plot/outside and work towards the characters/inside.
Davidson is the opposite, he works from the Inside/Out.
The plot serves the people.
And the people are so flesh and blood, I feel like I'm inside a real person for the duration of the story.
The title story, Rust & Bone knocked me on my ass like a sucker punch to the throat. Some of the visuals and wordsmithing here was so poetic, so beautifully tragic, I found myself reading the words over and over again before moving on in the story, my eyes blurry with tears.
Another favorite story was "Friction" which was about sex addicts but it wasn't really--it was about the tangible reality of all addiction. Something anyone could relate to.
"When she reached over the counter to pay you saw these downy hairs, a raised blue vein and I wanted to touch that spot, smell it and taste it. Crazy but I wanted to shrink myself, atomize like that those scientists in fantastic voyage, view things at a cellular level. I wanted to know everything about it--not her, you understand, I didn't care about her history or goals or fears, any of that. Just be intimate with that unthinking portion of her."
This portion gave me goosebumps as an actor. To see someone stand in a spotlight on a stage and monologue this scene to a room full of people, MAN. It would form a connection. It would move everyone in that room to a dark, still space where it's just the words and the people.
Anyways,
I loved this collection and I loved that I was able to savor them periodically over a long period of time, dipping in and out of it as I needed between horror books this year.
Truly Craig Davidson is a gifted writer and I look forward to more.

[J. Kent Messum · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no secret I'm a fan of short story collections. There is something about getting through a story in its entirety during a reading session that feels wholly satisfying. You can knock a short out on a bus or subway ride, read one over a lunch break, get one in before bedtime. You can pick up and put down a book a short stories for longer periods of time with no real guilt and start relatively fresh each time you crack it back open. The downside is that you invariably enjoy some stories more than others, which becomes a real bitch during review time because you end up pitting the little tales against one another in an effort to appraise it overall. By comparison the ratings will rise and fall in a balancing act, and I rarely emerge thinking every one of them was stellar because of this.

I'm pleased to report 'Rust and Bone' comes pretty damn close. I'd like to think of it as an assortment of small situational squirms that cover a wide spectrum and has the ability to get under every inch of your skin. The book is mostly tales of tough folks in trouble: a sea-world trainer being mauled by a killer whale, a couple involved in the brutal underground world of dog-fighting, an alcoholic father inadvertently ruining his kid’s prospects in life, and the stresses of being a sex addict among others. There are ugly, violent, and sadistic sides to life commonly happening behind closed doors, trespasses and indulgences committed by everyday people. This collection holds your head up to the keyhole for a peek.

Davidson’s writing is raw and visceral, giving you every bit of the grit and discomfort he intends. It isn’t necessarily the gore that gets you (although there is some of that), rather it’s the predicaments the characters find themselves in (two pitiful amputees starved of affection trying to feel each other out, for instance). I found the tone and originality more than satisfying. The writing is razor sharp, making for a lean book. There are echoes of author Thom Jones in the pages, an influence that results in a very masculine and unflinching read. Rust & Bone has a quick pace and a keen eye for everyday horror that most might be unaware of. There were stories I enjoyed more than others, ranging from great to good, and occasionally I felt that shock value was employed simply for the sake of it, but other than that there were few qualms to be had. If you enjoy short stories, this is a book I highly recommend.

*This book was one of my '10 Books That Stuck With Me' piece. Check out my other selections: https://jkentmessum.com/2014/04/14/10...

[Michela De Bartolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruggine e ossa è la raccolta di racconti di Craig Davidson .Il libro custodisce al suo interno otto racconti crudi e diretti. Pugili che hanno le mani frantumate, ma non più di quanto lo sia la loro anima; genitori allo sbando che proiettano le loro aspettative sul successo dei loro figli; allevatori di cani da combattimento che mescolano cinismo e apprensione; una addestratrice di orche per esibizioni che rimane vittima di un incidente spaventoso; sessuomani alle prese con il peso distruttivo delle loro dipendenze... Non solo ruggine e ossa ma anche sudore, sangue, dosi amarissime di sconforto ma anche il coraggio di bere l'amaro calice fino all'ultima goccia. Provocatorio , sconvolgente . La scrittura è affilata, chirurgica, non gira mai intorno alle questioni, va dritto al punto e affonda il colpo con decisione, così l'emozione che il libro scatena è quello di guardare in faccia questi antieroi, alle prese con la disperazione di tutti i giorni. Da due di questi racconti è tratto il film “Un sapore di Ruggine e Ossa”

[Blake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hey all you midlifers who think dog-fighting and porn are edgy and know a story is deep when it delivers on the shitty fathers and vague regret - these seven Thom Jones and Chuck Palahniuk covers, and one unreadable novella, are for you! With all first-person narratives and zero subtext, and every third sentence lacking a subject noun, these stories are woven with all the lyrical grace of a loudmouth drunk who won't leave a tip before getting up to paint the sidewalk in vomit. These tales of blue collar woe were imagined on the mean streets of Iowa City too, probably the ones off-campus where other Iowa Writers Workshop attendees might not have even been willing to buy their weed, so you know you're getting the genuine Thug-Lit article.

Tongue now removed from cheek, my itemized beefs with this collection are as follows:

- The no subjects thing is one of the most tiresome attempts at a stripped down colloquial style I've seen and only serves to annoy after the first story.

- These stories are extremely plot-driven and intentionally gritty and yet have little more than a toehold on any verisimilitudinous reality.

- The depictions of violence lose their power to shock with repetition (and there is a lot of repetition).

- The best story is probably Living in the Flesh, but entirely because it is the most loyal Jones copy and even that one has a tacked-on surprise ending in favor of actual character development (just like A Mean Utility earlier in the book).

- The attempts at clever connections between the stories just came off as impotently postmodern jibes, and further undermine the verisimilitude: am I supposed to imagine any one city with this many flat, unredeemable people in such close proximity to one another?

Planting my tongue firmly back in cheek, I will say I did like writing in the margins and omitting unecessary words, sentences, and whole paragraphs for the author. It was great practice for any workshops I might be in someday. And gaining the expectation that attending such a prestigious workshop all but guarantees the publishing of one's stories, regardless of quality, sure gives a lazy young writer hope!

[PUMPKINHEAD · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Rust and Bone' had two really great things going for it: different and disturbing.

Not too different, nor too disturbing, but a healthy dollop of both that made it a book to remember and recommend. These are not your typical short stories. They are violent, gritty, bleak; tales about broken people, or individuals reaching a breaking point. The writing is sharp and packs a punch. A lot of the subject matter is the stuff found in the darker, dirtier corners of life, which Craig Davidson illuminates with a goddamn floodlight.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read one of the pieces in a magazine, I wanted to read the collection. However, this is one of those unfortunate collections where the work shrinks as one keeps reading. Really there are only a few good stories here, and side by side, they fight with each other to be noticed. The only way to read this collection would be to read one story, wait several months, and then read another. Of course, you won't be able to remember which ones you have already read, but that won't matter in the least. They are all more or less the same.
So much writing talent — and to what end?

[Nancy]

I found this on J. Kent Messum's 10 Books That Made Me Squirm list

http://jkentmessum.com/2014/04/14/10-...

[Holly (The GrimDragon) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review to come!

[Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hesitant to rate this book somewhere between 2-3 stars but ended up with 2 stars because the last short story was mentally torturous which evoked an instant regret in buying this book. As a fan of the film, I had a rather high expectation in the book but in the actuality only a few elements were taken into the film adaptation. I noticed that most of the taken elements are from Rust And Bone and Rocket Ride where the life-turning events of two protagonists in the film adaption are based on. The novel is a compendium of short stories comprised of various male protagonists (mostly tough, audacious guys).

I thought the first three chapters were beautifully well-composed and heart-gripping enough to keep me reading the entire book in one sitting, but my interest quickly diminished after half-way into the book that I became somewhat resentful and decided to avoid reading it for a month. The first short story Rust And Bone (one of my favorites among a few others) resonates the heart-wrenching tale of a bare-knuckle fighter whose right hand is severely damaged in the attempt to save his nephew from drowning. The story was beautifully unraveled and tinted with shades of blood and bone-shattering excitement of brutal underground fighting. The writing captured the palpable relentlessness of the protagonist and how he became acquainted with bare-knuckle fighting.
The first story alone was enough to give this book a powerful prologue filled with originality and rawness of Davidson's sharp writing. Each short story was written using the similar overtone/semantic/fancy words - which was undeniably intriguing at first but it all seemed overly done and redundant after a while. Some of the stories are without doubt, thought-provokingly allegorical and mind-absorbing, but they can be disoriented and difficult to ingest at times due to the excessive brutality of animal-cruelty and the vomit-inducing violence. The originality of the book and its beautifully written prose astonished me greatly. The author is also great at utilizing medical terms in some of the chapters which denoted how well-researched this book is. But when reflecting back on the entire book as a compendium of short stories, it didn't quite live up to my expectation nor was it captivating enough. I wouldn't recommend this book to any squeamish reader because some chapters tend to be very graphic and gruesomely disturbing. I'd certainly like to re-read this book a couple years from now and reflect back on it somehow because I feel like my mild aversion towards this book stems from the fact that I lacked a sentimental connection with this type of short stories and the underlying theme of masculinity in blood sport.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

What about a 3.5? I love this dude and I'm going to be following his career, but you can tell he's still a young writer and learning how to put a collection together, how to reel it in. I'm squeamish, so some of these stories were tough to stomach, but he's definitely talented writer who's not afraid to grit it up - he just needs to find that balance between being violent/transgressive/whatever for the heck of it and using it to tell the point, between writing in his voice and the narrator's. Adored "Rust and Bone", "A Mean Utility", "The Rifleman"... actually, I liked most of them, I just don't have my copy of the book handy and I don't remember the titles.

[Kyle Spishock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craig Davidson is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors I’ve discovered recently.

In this collection of loosely related stories, Davidson proves himself adept at showing the vulnerability of his very human characters.

Favorites sprinkled in the collection include a whale trainer coping with the loss of a limb in a performance accident, a brother and sister on a road trip to find their missing magician father, a working class couple supplementing their income at an underground dog fighting ring.

The prose is spectacular, as is each short’s ability to be converted into a full length novel, if Davidson so chose to do.

I’d certainly read the series.

[Executionereniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woof! A collection of loosely (and weirdly sport-oriented) interconnected stories that give a motherfucking punch to your sorry bitch-ass face and leave you bleeding on the side of a road. Very gnarly, very authentic, sometimes over the top. Loved it. If only the language was more accessible, not trying so hard to be so macho and cool.

[Basileia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Ufff, realmente es un libro muy bestia. Hay historias que me han revuelto las tripas y otras que me han enternecido. Un maremágnum de sensaciones difícil de puntuar.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t the praise from Chuck Palahniuk on the front cover that made me read this; it was Thom Jones on the back. Their placement should have been reversed: the first few stories in this collection start out echoing the humble voice and style of Jones but quickly degenerate into the weary shock-and-ugh tactics ‘perfected’ by Palahniuk. it gets exhausting rather quickly.

That’s not to say the stories here are bad, perish the thought. Any one of these stories about the everyday damned is worthy of four or five stars, but put together , the collection doesn’t quite work. Each story follows the last with the brutality, cynicism, and hopelessness turned up another coupla notches: “Rust and Bone” was powerful and memorable, and “The Rifleman” as sad as any washed-up drunken father, but “A Mean Utility,” “Rocket Ride,” and “Friction,” though individually strong, all carried with them a sense that Davidson was trying to shock the reader by being increasinly edgier. It felt too jarring to be appreciated; fortunately, ‘On Sleepless Roads” moved it down a notch between some of the harder stuff, and “Life in the Flesh” brought us full circle. And after all that, “The Apprentice’s Guide to Modern Magic” was a welcome 180; after aging boxers, drunks, dogfighting trainers, amputees, and sex addicts, it was refreshing to read about two siblings trying to find their magician father who “vanished” during a magic act twenty-five years ago.

Don’t get me wrong, this collection is really good, but these are not stories to read in one sitting. I read them carefully, one at a time, over the course of two weeks, and that took enough of the edge off. Craig Davidson is a fantastic writer--just in small doses. It’s just something to remember if you give this book a try.

[A.J.]

As a collection, Rust & Bone is problematic. Davidson is deft with a phrase and has his finger on the truth. But this collection of stories featuring washed up boxers, drunks, repo men, amputees and sex addicts begins to strains its credibility. It becomes simply too much.

Any of these stories stands well on its own. The characters are memorable and their stories contain brilliant flashes of humour. But mid-way through the collection, one can't help but feel that Davidson is piling it on too thick. You imagine him sequencing the stories: think that protagonist was degraded, do ya? How about this, then: an exploding penile prosthesis. How'd ya like them apples? Some of it is unmistakably gratuitous, an attempt to stake out a position as a writer who can shock. And that is Davidson's weakness.

Richard Ford's early novels contain bouts of violence that are utterly absent from his later novels and his acclaimed short stories. Thomas McGuane's early novels are full of smart-aleck wordplay and wild, larger than life situations that over time became more muted. Young writers rely on bold strokes and bright colours; with skill and maturity their pallette becomes more muted, their brush strokes more subtle.

You have to hope the same process will temper Davidson's penchant for depravity. Notably, the final story of the collection is a break from the rest. "The Apprentice's Guide to Modern Magic" is the most emotionally complex story of the collection. It's also the only one written in the third person, where Davidson's prose is less assured.

Whatever the numbing effect of these stories as a whole, though, individually they are very good. "Rust & Bone," "The Rifleman," "On Sleepless Roads" and "Life in the Flesh," in particular, stand out.

[Brett Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding collection of short stories!

"Rust and Bone" is everything that it is hyped up to be, from all good reviews here on Amazon.com, to the praise on the front cover from Chuck Palahniuk (author of "Fight Club"), to the praise on the back cover from Bret Easton Ellis (author of "American Psycho).

There are eight excellent stories in the book, a few related by the most minor factors. The story topics range from boxing, magic, dog fighting, a repo man, a basketball prodigy, a aquarium show whale rider, to a hardcore sex addict!

the stories:

Rust and Bone (4/5 stars)
The Rifleman (4/5 stars)
A Mean Utility (5/5 stars, gut wrenching stuff, an eye opener)

Rocket Ride (5/5 stars)
On Sleepless Roads (5/5 stars)

Friction (5/5 stars, the story about the sex addict, this story is everything Chuck Palahniuk's book "Snuff" should have been (sorry Chuck), the only "funny" story in the book)

Life in the Flesh (4/5 stars)

The Apprentice's Guide to Modern Magic (5/5 stars, longest story in the book, great writing with a strong finish)

Craid Davidson is a great writer, I recommend this book to anyone who likes short stories that keep you on the edge of your seat!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of eight stand alone short stories (each 20-30 pages long) features a diverse cast of protagonists—a boxer, a dead beat dad, a dog fight breeder, a whale trainer, a repo man, a sex addict, and a abandoned son searching for the father who abandoned him— who are all either depressed or defeated, or are in some way trying to recover from a debilitating event in their past.

Davidson’s writing style is thick with description and is quickly paced; this combination will ‘shock and awe’ readers given the (often) brutal and graphic subjects entertained throughout. Each story, however, is not without its tender moments injecting both humour and honesty to wonderful effect. Recommended for anyone interested in a hard hitting read; several stories, Rust and Bone and Life in the Flesh could be singled out to readers interested in realistic boxing themed fiction.

[Carmen von Rohr · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I was 20 (that is, incredibly naive), I was really head over heels for this guy who had a lot of charm and, as it turned out, not much else. He was really into the Southern Gothic tough guy pose- whiskey and women, part-time boxer, slumming with the poor when in fact he was privileged and spoiled. Unable to imagine a woman who isn't a stripper, waitress, or receptionist. And of course a beautiful one at that. This guy wanted to be a writer. If he were to write a collection of stories, which he never will, lacking in discipline and imagination as he is, it would be this collection. Cliche and boring. Just like, in retrospect, our entanglement.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good short story collection from an author I'll definitely be keeping an eye on, though I didn't think it was nearly as violent and disturbing as some made it out to be, with the exception of 'A Mean Utility', which was incredibly disturbing, and also my favorite story in the collection. I will say that I don't really get the constant Palahniuk comparisons everyone seems to be making with Craig Davidson. I suppose the similarity is that some of the stories tend to be violent and disturbing, but always with heart behind them. Looking forward to reading 'The Fighter' soon.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first short story of this book was about a boxer with a haunted past. It was very well done and had an ending that stayed true to its entire form. Unfortunately, the rest of the stories were sensationalized and based primarily on shock-value. There was little substance to them and the book would have been much better if it stayed true to the makings of the first short story, entitled Rust and Bone.

[Mircalla · Rating 3 out of 5]

boxe e degrado dell'anima

racconti con temi ricorrenti il cui filo conduttore è il degrado, lotte clandestine di cani, boxe thailandese, gente che perde una gamba mangiata da un cetaceo e via così...non particolarmente incisivo, ma il senso di angoscia lo trasmette tutto...


ps. rarissimo caso in cui il film mi è piaciuto di più

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chuck Palahniuk liked it. Bret Easton Ellis liked it. And if for some reason you're still on the fence, I liked it. I haven't enjoyed being submerged in misery like this since a nurse had to help me wash myself with a sponge on a stick.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only read two stories out of this. The first one, though, about a boxer with broken hands and how they came to be broken, is the kind of story that I will never forget.

[AudreyFaure26 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livre de 8 nouvelles.

C'est ma faute je pensais qu'il s'agissait d'un roman classique ou alors je n'ai pas prêté attention.

Toutes les histoires sont brutales, et dérangeantes sur différents niveaux. On pourrait dire tout simplement qu'elles sont réelles, non aseptisées.

La première est difficile, brut, belle car terriblement humaine, une histoire vibrante qui nous remue.

Il est toujours difficile, frustrant de ne plus aller plus avant dans cette histoire.

La deuxième nouvelle était sympa mais sans plus, mais toujours cette même écriture percutante, juste l'histoire de ce père qui ne cessait de chuter plus bas, alors que je ne pensais pas que c'était possible, qui m'a navré.

La troisième j'ai essayé mais n'ai pas pu. Trop brutal, trop violent, cela m'était insupportable, j'ai dû arrêter et passer à la suivante, sans regret.

Dans la 4eme on retrouve quelques épisodes de violence gratuite, pour le plaisir de l'humain, au détriment des animaux. Mais aussi de la lâcheté, regarder une personne subir des violences et choisir de ne rien faire. Ces épisodes sont moins encombrant que dans la nouvelle précédente où cela emplissait tellement l'air que l'histoire en devenait irrespirable. Mais cela me dérange, la scène du saumon. Ce n'est que saumon me dira t-on, pas pour moi, et c'est la redondance de ces situations qui me dérange. Cette femme qui aurait pû être sauvée... Le karma alors? 

La cinquième, je mets un moment à comprendre si le personnage principal et hors la loi ou non, on se demande où va aller cette histoire, elle est vraiment intéressante même si j'ai l'impression qu'elle met du temps à réellement commencer. Toujours beaucoup d'humanité dans l'écriture, de beauté, malgré une réalité toujours brutale dans les différentes nouvelles de ce livre, je retrouve dans celle-ci en plus une douce utopie au fil des pages. Que l'humain est capable de se lié, de solidarité, de bonté, presque une lueur d'espoir. Peut-être ma nouvelle préférée des 8, même si la fin est vraiment abrupte.

La sixième est centrée en majeure partie sur l'industrie du film X, le personnage principal étant accro au sexe. L'auteur a beau avoir insufflé sa touche d'humanité au fil de l'histoire, rien à faire, je n'ai pas réussi à me plonger dedans.

Direction la 7eme! Le monde de la boxe, l'histoire est à l'image des autres, brutale, remplie de personnages aux vies brisées, ou en cours de destruction, et là à nouveau la fin m'échappe. Quel est son sens, sa morale ?

La dernière. Je trouve l'histoire, l'atmosphère complètement différente des autres, il est aussi question de souffrance, mais pas de douleurs physiques, ici c'est l'abandon du père qui déclenche ce sentiment. Je suis sceptique sur cette histoire, ne sait quoi en penser. Pas vraiment mon style.


Je pense que je testerai d'autres livres de cet auteur car son style me plaît beaucoup.

[Anne Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Si vous avez aimé le film vous serez déçu.
Si vous n’avez pas aimé le film, vous serez déçu.

Bref De Rouille et d’Os était plein de belles promesses mais n’en a rempli qu’une seule : d’être extrêmement bien écrite. Je dois rendre à César ce qui appartient à César, Craig Davidson écrit bien. Très bien même. C’est violent, clair, à la fois poétique et simple, avec une honnêteté désarmante. Mais un joli paquet ne sauve pas toujours ce qu’il y a à l’intérieur.

Sur les 8 nouvelles présentes dans ce livre, seulement 3 m’ont plu. Et seulement 1 (la première) m’a boulversé et chamboulé. S’en suit après une suite de petites nouvelles d’homme blanc, la trentaine bien tapé, blanc, en couple, qui couine de sa triste vie monotone d’homme hétérosexuel privilégié. Je viens de décrire exactement tout ce que je hais dans la littérature moderne. Dans la lignée des Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis et j’en passe, on se retrouve devant une ribambelle de clichées pathétiques d’hommes bon à recevoir un gros coup de pied au cul pour se réveiller. Dans 90%, tous leurs problèmes sont cristallisés autour de deux énormes problèmes : la violence et le sexe. Si ce livre était sorti dans les années 80/90, j’aurais pu comprendre et dire « ok très bien c’est comme ça que toute la littérature moderne se construit ». Mais là non. C’est début année 2000 et c’est clairement PAS POSSIBLE de nous sortir ce genre de discours.

Ces personnages ne cherchent pas à nous émouvoir (encore heureux hein), juste à nous dégouter un peu plus de l’américain middle class qui s’ennuie. Et je ne parle MÊME pas de l’image de la femme. Relayée au rang d’objet (de décoration et/ou sexuelle pour les plus vernie) : aucune d’entre elle - exceptée Jessica dans la dernière nouvelle que j’ai apprécié aussi - n’a de consistance, de personnalités, ou même d’un brin de jugeote.

Ce livre plaira sûrement aux adeptes du spleen et aux amateurs de la littérature du genre (coucou Beigbeder) qui sont à l’image de l’auteur et ses personnages.

[chiara_librofilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro l'ho rincorso per anni visto che, purtroppo, risulta ormai fuori commercio ma i racconti che contiene sono dei veri e propri gioiellini.

Racconti di vite fallite - spesso ai margini e guidate da una sorta di istinto animalesco, capace di bruciare qualsiasi grande occasione - popolate da pugili con una carriera terminata per colpa di squallidi infortuni o di incontri finiti male; da figli messi sotto pressione da padri alcolizzati e desiderosi di riscatto; da allevatori di cani lanciati in combattimenti all'ultimo sangue, solo per sopperire ai propri drammi coniugali oppure da uomini completamente dipendenti dal sesso e dalle sue bizzarre dinamiche.

Insomma, gente con lo spirito e il corpo ammaccato, che quotidianamente lotta con i propri fantasmi e le ossessioni, alla continua ricerca di un qualsiasi perdono e disposta a non arrendersi, nonostante le avversità ma soprattutto che ci ricorda di quanto alcune vite, siano inconsapevolmente simili tra loro e di quanto la caduta sia dannatamente sempre più affascinante del salto.

[John Naylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story collection.

The tales the author tells are certainly different. From dog fighting to human fighting (boxing) to sex addiction. The way he tells them doesn't make them too shocking or disturbing compared to other authors.

I do like short story collections where parts of one story are included in another. It feels like an Easter egg to find in the text and there are a few of those here.

This was an early work by the author and I just don't feel that he had written many characters before. There was some depth to a few of them but others I doubt I would remember anything about after writing this review.

A rating for short stories is often based on either an average or the strength of the weakest story. I feel that 3* could be both here. It is worth reading of you haven't already but I also cannot think of a specific reading type to recommend it to.

[Michelle Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve only read half the stories. Davidson’s writing style and the subject matter is not for me. I tried several times to finish this book but I just couldn’t do it. When you have first person narratives of hypermasculine men sharing lengthy articulate descriptions with unusual word choices, and/or super insightful, self-aware reflections, it just doesn’t ring true for me. It could work for a character or two, but the whole collection seems to read like this. Also, a lot of toxic masculinity and a story about dog fighting that was painful to read. Like I said, it’s not for me. I did enjoy a couple of the stories but as I kept reading it just felt like more of the same.