I'd agree with the "pro" review above that Ryan owes much to the lean prose of Hemingway. Beautifully constructed, almost poetry in some ways. Rarely does a book as genuinely affecting come along (especially when dealing with subjects as grim as those around which the story revolves). No wasted words, and yet Ryan says more than enough.

Unforgettable farce set in the old south. You won't meet a stranger bunch of characters this side of Swing Blade. A book that makes you laugh becuase it is so outragrous.

Mean, mean, mean comic vision of Southern life ala Crews and Faulkner. Perhaps the darkest funny book I have ever read. It's a shame it is out of print. For an excerpt from the novel that is easily available, see "Roy Blount's Book of Southern Humor."

Don't let the Kirkus review stop you from reading this book - it is well-written, interesting, subversive --- and funny! I enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed 'Feast of Snakes' by Harry Crews.