The Drinking of Spirits: Stories
If Tom Abrams sang the cracker blues in his novel A Bad Piece of Luck, he's playing jazz riffs in this collection. These are gritty stories: stories of loss, abandonment, war, confusion, and despair. But Abrams keeps such an ear out for character that we come away from each story nodding, "Yes, yes" in a strange affirmation. And he has an equally observant eye for setting. You'll shiver in a Vietnamese monsoon while watching a swollen, hungry river, you'll sweat in a Belizean jungle bar and its brothel, and you'll bounce in a Spanish train as you look out the window in wonderment to see a friend from the narrator's past sharing a ghostly bottle with two winos. Just as if death, by nearing this Madrid station stop, had somehow been cheated. Just as if the bullet this friend had placed in his head five years before had been a magician's sordid trick.... Yes, yes, and yes.

Placed in Madrid, Belize, Vietnam and Ohio, these stories carry the built-in joy of varied settings. Combine that with Tom Abrams' sure eye for character, situation, and understatement. Voila! The entire collection becomes an unavoidable, magical delight.

1005684722
The Drinking of Spirits: Stories
If Tom Abrams sang the cracker blues in his novel A Bad Piece of Luck, he's playing jazz riffs in this collection. These are gritty stories: stories of loss, abandonment, war, confusion, and despair. But Abrams keeps such an ear out for character that we come away from each story nodding, "Yes, yes" in a strange affirmation. And he has an equally observant eye for setting. You'll shiver in a Vietnamese monsoon while watching a swollen, hungry river, you'll sweat in a Belizean jungle bar and its brothel, and you'll bounce in a Spanish train as you look out the window in wonderment to see a friend from the narrator's past sharing a ghostly bottle with two winos. Just as if death, by nearing this Madrid station stop, had somehow been cheated. Just as if the bullet this friend had placed in his head five years before had been a magician's sordid trick.... Yes, yes, and yes.

Placed in Madrid, Belize, Vietnam and Ohio, these stories carry the built-in joy of varied settings. Combine that with Tom Abrams' sure eye for character, situation, and understatement. Voila! The entire collection becomes an unavoidable, magical delight.

23.0 In Stock
The Drinking of Spirits: Stories

The Drinking of Spirits: Stories

by Tom Abrams
The Drinking of Spirits: Stories

The Drinking of Spirits: Stories

by Tom Abrams

Hardcover(Library Binding)

$23.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 1-2 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

If Tom Abrams sang the cracker blues in his novel A Bad Piece of Luck, he's playing jazz riffs in this collection. These are gritty stories: stories of loss, abandonment, war, confusion, and despair. But Abrams keeps such an ear out for character that we come away from each story nodding, "Yes, yes" in a strange affirmation. And he has an equally observant eye for setting. You'll shiver in a Vietnamese monsoon while watching a swollen, hungry river, you'll sweat in a Belizean jungle bar and its brothel, and you'll bounce in a Spanish train as you look out the window in wonderment to see a friend from the narrator's past sharing a ghostly bottle with two winos. Just as if death, by nearing this Madrid station stop, had somehow been cheated. Just as if the bullet this friend had placed in his head five years before had been a magician's sordid trick.... Yes, yes, and yes.

Placed in Madrid, Belize, Vietnam and Ohio, these stories carry the built-in joy of varied settings. Combine that with Tom Abrams' sure eye for character, situation, and understatement. Voila! The entire collection becomes an unavoidable, magical delight.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780942979695
Publisher: Livingston Press
Publication date: 01/01/2000
Pages: 176
Product dimensions: 6.09(w) x 9.19(h) x 0.78(d)

Table of Contents

The Parade1
Small Arms Fire4
A Tale of Two Losers14
Monroe Puckett23
A Small Thing That Mattered Greatly33
The Gaffer45
Dream Rider57
The King of Everything70
Forgetting How To Laugh82
The Biggest Rat in the World85
Joe Grind92
Top99
Changing Horses103
In the Gare at Bayonne110
Fish Tales114
The Good Doctor119
I Will Hide in God134
The Star Train142
The Book of Thieves148
The Drinking of Spirits166
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews