{"product_id":"book-cpjd","title":"Knockemstiff","description":"In this unforgettable work of fiction, Donald Ray Pollock peers into the soul of  a tough Midwestern American town to reveal the sad, stunted but resilient lives of  its residents.\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Spanning a period from the mid-sixties to the late nineties, the  linked stories that comprise \u003cb\u003eKnockemstiff\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003efeature a cast of recurring characters  who are woebegone, baffled and depraved—but irresistibly, undeniably real. Rendered  in the American vernacular with vivid imagery and a wry, dark sense of humor, these  thwarted and sometimes violent lives jump off the page at the reader with inexorable  force. A father pumps his son full of steroids so he can vicariously relive his days  as a perpetual runner-up body builder. A psychotic rural recluse comes upon two siblings  committing incest and feels compelled to take action. Donald Ray Pollock presents  his characters and the sordid goings-on with a stern intelligence, a bracing absence  of value judgments, and a refreshingly dark sense of bottom-dog humor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With an artistic  instinct honed on the works of Flannery O’Connor and Harry Crews, Pollock offers  a powerful work of fiction in the classic American vein. \u003cb\u003eKnockemstiff\u003c\/b\u003e is a genuine  entry into the literature of place.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAudiobook Cast of Narrators:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Real Life,\" read by Kirby Heyborne\u003cbr\u003e\"Dynamite Hole,\" read by Mark Bramhall\u003cbr\u003e\"Knockemstiff,\" read by Macleod Andrews\u003cbr\u003e\"Hair’s Fate,\" read by Andrew Eiden\u003cbr\u003e\"Pills,\" read by Kirby Heyborne\u003cbr\u003e\"Gianthomachy,\" read by David Garelick\u003cbr\u003e\"Schott’s Bridge,\" read by Matt Godfrey\u003cbr\u003e\"Lard,\" read by Macleod Andrews\u003cbr\u003e\"Fish Sticks,\" read by Dan Woren\u003cbr\u003e\"Bactine,\" read by Rob Shapiro\u003cbr\u003e\"Discipline,\" read by R.C. Bray\u003cbr\u003e\"Assailants,\" read by Dan Woren\u003cbr\u003e\"Rainy Sunday,\" read by Amy Landon\u003cbr\u003e\"Holler,\" read by Andrew Eiden\u003cbr\u003e\"I Start Over,\" read by Joe Ochman","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49330414649648,"sku":"BDcpjd","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/253737-cpjd-Square.jpg?v=1733775845","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-cpjd","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}