In the Devil's Territory
by Kyle Minor
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kyle MinorEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-01
ISBN: 0979312361
Number of pages: 220
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Book Reviews of In the Devil's Territory
Book Review: "The action of grace in territory held largely by the devil"
Summary: 5 Stars
It's fitting that Minor drew the title of his collection from Flannery O'Connor (the line I quoted above can be found in the essay, "On Her Own Work") because he descends from her tradition, concerned, as he is, with the messy stuff of our hearts. But whereas O'Connor might pull the rug out from under her characters, confronting them with a glimpse at the sublime reality of their wickedness or misdirection, Minor is more generous, more empathetic. That's not to say he doesn't show his characters' failings or misgivings; he does; his men and women are so well observed you get the impression they were created beneath a jeweler's eye-piece. But whereas O'Connor seems to work toward an exposure, a moment, like at the end of "Greenleaf," where her characters are seized on the horns of their failings, Minor often seems to be working toward our connecting with his characters on a deeper level, so we can understand their plight and see them as something more than what we might on first glance in our everyday lives: the uncaring old woman, the closeted priest, etc., I'd go into more detail -- on how he handles religion and religious characters in a way I see too few contemporary writers do -- but I'm separated from my copy of the collection at the moment, so I can only recommend you buy this book. A debut collection should make you want to see more, and that's what this one does, especially with its longer stories ("A Day Meant to Do Less," "A Love Story"), where Minor's novelistic talents have more room to be displayed. Highly recommended.
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